


I'm In Love With A Fairy Tale

by StrawVally_Cream



Category: TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: 'Unrequited Feelings', :D, A LOT to unpack, Aging Is Weird, Allergies, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Anaphylaxis, Angst, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Assumptions, Bad Decisions, Bad Parenting, Bonding, But also, But also very gullible, Child Abandonment, Child Neglect, Childhood Trauma, Choi Beomgyu says Fuck, Choi Soobin Is Bad At Feelings, Choi Soobin Is Tall, Chubby Choi Yeonjun, Cliffhangers, Coming of Age, Conflict, Confused Choi Yeonjun, Consequences, Creative License, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute Huening Kai, Damsels in Distress, Denial of Feelings, Developing Friendships, Didn't Know They Were Dating, Eating of Inedibles, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Every single thing has meaning, Everything Is SUPER thorough, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Fairy Tale Curses, Fairy Tale Elements, Falling In Love, Fate & Destiny, Fluff and Humor, Folklore, Foreshadowing, Found Family, Hunting, I just realized that tag applies, I think I'm done with official tags hang on, Immortality, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Internal Conflict, Isolation, Just As Bad As It Sounds, Kang Taehyun Is Smart, Kings & Queens, Long Journeys, M/M, Magic, Missed Opportunities, Misunderstandings, Mortality, Mostly European, Near Death Experiences, Nightmares, No Smut, Omission, Orphans, Our Backstories Have Backstories, Panic Attacks, Please Examine Closely, Plushies, Post-Traumatic Stress, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pretty Kang Taehyun, Princes, Psychological Trauma, Quenya, Self-Doubt, Skinship, Sleepy Cuddles, Soft Choi Soobin, Subtext, THIS IS OUR BRAIN BABY, Tag Bingo, There WILL be more tags they're just spoilers right now, They're all relevant too, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Touch-Starved, Trauma, Treason, Ulterior Motives, Violence Against Doors, We hereby take many creative liberties with folklore, Whipped EVERYONE, Whipped Huening Kai, Wishful Thinking, With A Twist, You can rip him from my cold dead hands, among others, attempts at good parenting, bad memories, borderline vore, but you didn't hear that from me, fantasy languages, figuratively and literally, have fun, lots of em - Freeform, lying, no wait nvm theres a couple more, not as bad as it sounds, quotes, technically there's supposed to be an an Incest By Marriage tag but we aren't going that far, there's a lot okay - Freeform, they are children - Freeform, they're not actually related, this is what happens when two yeonjun-biased people write a tyunning fellas, touch-starvation, very much so, white lies, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:48:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 80,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21759340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrawVally_Cream/pseuds/StrawVally_Cream
Summary: “Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like.”― Lemony SnicketThere's a prince in a tower in the woods in a kingdom, and he sits in wait each day for his time to go. There's a prince in a castle in a city in a nation, and he stands and looks each day for a purpose. The woods hold many secrets and souls, and you find things and not-things in them you didn't know you were looking for.The story is this: There's a prince in a tower and a prince in the land. Two dreams, Two Boys, Two Souls, and One Inescapable Fate._Co written by @thechoisoobean and @cronchabletxt on twitter
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu/Choi Soobin, Choi Beomgyu/Choi Yeonjun, Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun, Huening Kai/Kang Taehyun
Comments: 62
Kudos: 153





	1. Once Upon A Time...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Don’t say that,” Baekhyun’s grip tightens. “Promise me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I’m Savi aka @thechoisoobean on twitter, if you’ve seen me around...
> 
> You don’t have to read this but I just wanted to thank you all for your support, I’ve never been involved in such a big project before. We’ve been working on this for just about two months now and we’re planning on it being a little over 50k words and we hope you enjoy every last one and fall in love with these characters as much as we have uwu
> 
> OWO!!!! This is Val now!!!! I'm @cronchabletxt :3c You might've heard of me as that one vore moa and I stand by the cronch agenda so BLEH.  
> Savi & I worked SUPER DUPER hard on this thing, she's had to deal with my arbitrary sleep schedule and excessive nerdiness since the tail end of november and I think that's a supreme feat lmao~ This started out as a random idea and spiraled into such a big thing, and it's been a real rough time not just spilling all the deets out on the tl!! I hope you like it and find it worthy enough to share with your friends!

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_"The frog said, 'I want not your pearls, and jewels, and fine clothes; but if you will love me, and let me live with you and eat from off your golden plate, and sleep upon your bed, I will bring you your ball again.'"_

-The Frog Prince, _Grimm's Fairy Tales_

* * *

The spilled ink seeps into the grooves of the wooden desk, sinking into the grain and deepening its color, dark and sticky like a splatter of blood. The sheet of creamy parchment soaks it up, erasing the words already written and adding to her frustration. Sujin grits her teeth, grabbing a stained towel beside her and mopping up the extra from the fallen ink jar as a large set of hands falls on her shoulders, massaging soothingly.

“Third time now,” Baekhyun says, “Are you _really_ sure about this?”

Sujin nods, wiping the last of the ink away and using the end of her pen to pop the top of the next bottle open, “I’m sure. You said so yourself that your brother was the kindest soul you knew, if anyone’s going to be able to fix this in time it’s him.”

His hands stop their gentle pressure, tensing.

“He’ll be _fine_. We don’t even know if he’s going to get it! If he doesn’t bring it up I won’t send him, I already promised!” Sujin scoffs at him, dipping the pen into the ink and curling it over a new paper into a looping greeting.

Baekhyun sighs, “I know. I just hope you’re right. Kai tends to jump into people’s business if he thinks there’s something he can do to help, but he doesn’t really plan ahead. And this feels too much like setting a trap, what with my parent’s condition and all.”

“It’s a dumb condition. They’re practically _asking_ for him to develop a Hero complex.”

“They just think of him as a kid still,” Baekhyun scolds and leans his chin on Sujin’s head, watching the invitation come to life under her nimble fingers and solid pen strokes. “They don’t believe he actually will do anything to try to prove himself.”

As Sujin slides the signature into shape and presses the wax seal onto the card, Baekhyun looks at the leftover stains on the desk and the new shadows they add to the otherwise simple wood desk.

“They underestimate him.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───  
  


“His wife wants to meet me?! As in, Huening Kai, as in Prince of Plushies?!” Kai asked as he waved the thick cream card stock in his hand.

“That’s what the invitation says, your highness," His butler sighed as he watched Kai attempt to decipher the simple message.

“She met me once at the wedding, I don’t see why she'd have to meet me _again_ ,” The boy huffed as he dropped onto his king-sized bed. “So last minute if you ask me, tonight's cutting it close! I was planning on playing games all day.”

“You still have classes, not to mention your _parents_ would prefer it if you attended.”

“They'd also prefer that I prove my bravery, but we both know that’s not gonna happen.” Kai huffed, rolling his eyes as he pulled his molang plushie into his arms, and stared at the galaxy painted onto his ceiling. 

His favourite constellations and planets filled the structure above his canopy, he felt as if he could get lost up there every time he gazed upon it. His dream was to go out to a clearing one night and stare at the sky, arms wrapped around something cuddly as he watched the stars move in awe.

But, he wasn’t allowed to go into the forest until he proved he was strong enough somehow. His parents thought his slight obsession with plushies made him “weak”. As if. It just made him cuddlier, if anything.

“Regardless, you need to get ready for your classes and dinner tonight. Brush your hair and change into your uniform, your teacher is waiting for your downstairs," his butler instructed as he left the room.

“This food better be amazing…” Kai groaned as he flopped onto his back and rubbed his face. He'd rather stay in his room, away from people. But it was his brother, what could he do?

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Your highness, we have arrived at your brother’s palace.” The butler whispers as he reached across the carriage and gave Kai a slight nudge, “Wake up please, we don’t want to be late.”

All he earned was a snore from the young prince. Kai rolled over to face the back of the seat as he smacked his sleepy mouth, letting a small groan escape it as he curled into a ball around a small dolphin plush toy.

“Your highness, please, I’m really not in the mood for this.” The poor man groaned as he gave Kai a slightly more aggressive nudge on the shoulder.

The carriage ride had been four hours, right after his classes, and he was exhausted. They passed through the countryside, the fresh air and vast green scenery that always made Kai drowsy. Add a plushie or two and you had the perfect recipe for a sleeping prince.

“Don’ wan' go 'o school, 'ready did,” Kai sleepily mumbled as he angelically rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Even after just waking up the boy still managed to look cherubic. Honey skin glowing in the golden sunset and brown eyes twinkling like the stars he loved so much.

“Come on kiddo, dinner is waiting.” The elder man warmly smiled. No matter how annoying the young prince got, he always managed to get back in his favour within a second.

Kai took his hand as he guided him from the carriage, carefully so he wouldn’t fall on sluggish legs.

“Wait, is the food ready?” Kai suddenly asked, perking up as they walked into the castle, bowing to the servants respectfully.

“Yes, it has been for a while. You were just taking so long getting up that-“

Kai took off down the hall towards the dining room without a word.

“Huening Kai! Where are you-“

“FOOD’S READY!”

“I said that already!” The butler yelled behind him as he attempted to catch up with the teen. It seemed nothing could stand between him and his pubescent hunger.

“Mmm, do I smell turkey legs?” Kai moaned as he closed his eyes and walked into the dining room, mouth watering at the scent of roasted meat.

Baekhyun chuckled, standing and walking over to his little brother before answering, “Yup, I hope you’re hungry little- well, now you’re a big guy.”

“I’m always hungry nowadays,” Kai giggled before hugging his brother. "I can probably add eating to my current list of hobbies.”

“Well, at least you’re growing up big and strong, that’s all I can ask for.” The elder boy smiled proudly as he guided Kai to the table.

“This is my wife, Kang Sujin, she oversaw the meal we’re eating tonight.” Baekhyun proudly gushed as his sister-in-law stood to hug him.

“You’ve gotten much bigger since I last saw you at the wedding, Huening Kai.” She beamed and Kai blushed, he really didn’t think he had gotten that tall since March, but everyone was freaking out so maybe he had-

“You can just call me Kai, or Hyuka or Ning or literally anything. I’ve heard them all.” Kai chuckled as he took his seat across from the woman.

“I think Kai will do just fine.” She smiled as she served him large portions of buttery potatoes, colorful mixed vegetables, and roasted meat. 

Kai stared in awe, it’s not like he didn’t eat like this at home. It was just the fact that he had it all to himself.

“Dig in buddy.” Baekhyun assented and the young prince did so immediately, he wouldn’t have to be told twice. The food disappeared from his plate and into his mouth quickly, you’d think he hadn’t eaten in days.

He actually ate right before they left but, details.

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Dinner was going well, Sujin seemed to be falling in love with him more and more by the minute. She even began doting on him as if he were her own little brother.

“Here, have some more Kai-yah.”

“Do you need anything else?”

“Oh, your dessert plate is empty, would you like me to fill it up?”

Kai was stuffed to say the least, he was sure he had eaten an entire turkey and at least one pie.

“I had a little brother your age.” The woman reminisced as she rested her chin in her hands and watched Kai struggle to get comfortable.

“You did?” He hiccuped into his fist as he squirmed, “If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?”

Sujin stared into Kai’s chocolate brown eyes and all she could see was her brother’s large ones, warm and soft like a fresh fudge brownie. She trusted him.

“Nobody’s seen him in years,” She solemnly started and Kai stopped moving, looking at the woman attentively, “They sent him away four years ago and I haven’t seen him since.”

“Why would they do that?! Has he even contacted you?!” Kai questioned as he sat on the edge of his seat. He tried to imagine what he would feel like if he was away from his two sisters for four years.

They were annoying, but they were family, he loved them.

“I-I’ve already said too much-“ Sujin stutters as she stands, hastily clearing her surroundings. Kai clenches the side of the table.

“You can trust me, please, just tell me. You deserve to have your brother.” Kai pleads, he didn’t know why he wanted to know so bad, he just did.

Sujin breaks without much convincing, she wanted her brother back too. She wanted him to be there for the birth of his nephew.

“He refused to become king, he wanted to be a wizard, he wanted to be a kid and make things disappear,” Sujin smiles, endeared at the memories of her little brother. Then her face falls, fists clenched as she looks down at the table, “and then they made him disappear.”

The air feels frigid as Kai breathes it in, they didn’t kill him, did they?

“Do you know where he is?” he asks, breaking the frozen silence, something in the back of his head, hoping the young prince was alive. Sujin winces, shaking her head despondently and fiddling at the gold lace on her dress gathered in her lap. His brother, silent until then, picks up her hands and rubs his thumbs comforting over her knuckles, knowing how hard it was for her to speak of her long lost brother. The image is blindingly sad, the expressions on their faces hinting at a pool of sorrow Kai isn’t sure he can ever understand.

There’s a feeling, one that he wouldn’t know how to put into words if asked, but the closest he can come to it is a _niggle_. A nudge, pushing him towards a path that’s been carved long before he knew of it, certainly much earlier than now that it's being placed before him.

All he has to do is take it.

He makes up his mind, sealing his fate, “Do you know who does?”

Sujin and Baekhyun’s heads snap up in shocked unison. The plate in front of Sujin falls to the floor as she jumps forward until her face is mere inches from Kai’s own.

“You mean you’d go find him? Is that what you’re saying, Kai-yah?” she whispers, voice dripping with hope and anticipation. Kai almost regrets the decision, unwilling to disappoint her with the odds of his success, but her earnest joy and optimism fills him with a sense of duty not entirely unwelcome. 

“I-Yes? No, wait. Yes, I’ll go _try_ to find him,” he says, seeing his brother rub his hands over his eyes as Sujin whoops, sweeping him into a gut-crushing hug. 

“I miss him so much, the thought of seeing him again…” Sujin starts as her eyes begin to well up with happy tears, “We um, we have a little bit of a dilemma you see, the only people who know exactly where he is are my parents and they’re not going to give up that information willingly.”

Kai dramatically taps his chin in thought.

What would one of his game characters do if they needed to get information?

“I need a sword and a bag of supplies, I’ll leave tonight.” The young prince states gruffly as he puffs out his chest and puts his hands on his hips. Baekhyun coughs.

“Excuse us for a moment, ” he says cheerfully, pulling Kai out into the hallway without waiting for a response.

“Ning, do you even know what you’re doing?!” He whisper yells as he grabs the seventeen-year-old’s shoulders, attempting to put the sound of his wife’s joyful singing in the back of his mind, “This isn’t a game. This is real knight stuff with real lives at stake, including yours!”

“I know.”

“Ning-“

“I know!” The young prince snaps, clenching his fists at his sides, “I have to do this, I have to prove it to myself and everyone else that I’m not just a plushie loving wuss and this is my chance. It’s like this is my fate.”

Baekhyun looks him in eyes endearingly, his little brother was about to try and go out into the world by himself and save someone else’s life when he barely had his own figured out.

“I don’t think you’re a wuss kiddo.”

“You’d be the only one,” Kai grumbles, crossing his arms as he loses the previous indignation. “Just- Please? Let me do this, or at least let me try!”

Baekhyun sighs, “Okay.”

“I swear I can- Wait, really? You’ll let me?”

“Yep. I’m not happy about it, but I won’t stop you,” he says. Kai grins widely and throws himself bodily into his brother’s arms, hooking his own around his neck.

“Thank you,” he whispers into his shoulder. Baekhyun rubs his back comfortingly, before pushing him away.

“Let’s go back and pack your bags, okay? I think you fit into my old clothes already, you tree!”

“Wh-I didn’t grow THAT much!” Kai pouts, nudging his brother playfully as a wide and grateful smile spread across his face.

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Kai’s butler held back a laugh when Kai appeared through the door of the palace. Sujin had outfitted him with two pairs of pants, an undershirt, a shirt, a scarf, a golden buttoned cardigan and a thick embroidered coat before she was satisfied that the cold would not reach him. His stance is reminiscent of a penguin, with an odd little waddle that made his coattails swing in the air.

Baekhyun stands near the door of the carriage, a complex look on his face and hands behind his back as Kai and Sujin come down the steps of the palace and approach him. 

The butler opens the door for Kai, stepping away and going around the carriage after the gesture. The young prince turns to face his brother only to be greeted with a heavy object being pushed into his hands. He looks down and gasps.

In his hands is a longsword within its sheath, iron coated in a beautiful rose gold colour, encrusted with pearls and multicolored jewels on the hilt that created a softly glowing kaleidoscope. Although no light hits it, it was almost as if it generated its own, illuminating the darkness between them with a weak shine that brings an indescribable feeling into Kai’s chest.

“What...is this?” he asks, thunderstruck.

It’s Sujin who answers him, “That’s the sword I was supposed to give my brother for his sixteenth birthday. It has an enchantment that will always light your way.”

“I can’t take this! It’s not-”

“I’m sure Taehyun-ah would understand if you needed it. It’ll keep you safe until you can both come home,” she smiles at him guilelessly. Kai bites his lip, tears building in the corners of his eyes, and pulls her into a soft hug. They let go of each other, and bid one last goodbye before Sujin steps back into the palace, rubbing at her eyes daintily with a handkerchief.

She believed in Huening Kai, she had a feeling he was the one who would bring her little brother back.

Kai turns to his brother, clutching the sword close to himself. Baekhyun stood there, holding his arm by the elbow awkwardly against his body. 

“I don’t have another blessed weapon for you, I’m afraid,” he joked, “But I do have something to ask you, in exchange for not telling Mom or Dad about this.”

Kai tilts his head, “What is it? It better not have to do with owing you a favour because-”

“Stay safe for me. Please,” his brother interrupts quietly, looking him in the eye, placing a tender hand on his younger brother’s shoulder, suddenly realizing how tall he actually was. “I don’t think I could take it if anything happened to you, so take care of yourself, and know there’s no shame in running from a fight you can’t win.”

Kai shuffles his feet, uncomfortable with the solemn air.

“I’ll do my best-”

“Don’t say that,” Baekhyun’s grip tightens. “Promise me.”

“I can’t-”

“Promise. Me.”

“I promise, okay!?” Kai cries, shrugging off the hand on his shoulder. Baekhyun shoots him a critical look, but nods. Their goodbyes are tense, charged with something Kai doesn’t want to ask about. Baekhyun walks away looking over his own shoulder at his younger brother, pausing for a fraction of a second before going through the heavy palace doors that slam shut behind him.

Kai steps into the carriage with a sunken feeling in his gut and a sword in his lap, backpack of food for days and supplies slung over his shoulder. When he shuts the door he hears a small fluttering sound, and looks down to see a tiny, folded paper on the floor, fallen from the crease in the sheath. 

He picks it up, turning it over in his hands before opening it after some deliberation. Inside he sees a familiar chart, ripped from a copy of “The Lineage Royale”, which he read three times before his instructor let them move past the unit. The page seems to be the diagram for the succession system, with ink placed around certain ‘people’. The first heir in line, the son, is crossed out, while there’s a circle around...

“Oh,” he says. He folds and unfolds the paper over and over again and leans his head against the window, thoughts swimming in troubled waters as he struggles to sleep with the new information weighing on his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: See you Wednesday! If you have any comments, questions or concerns do not hesitate to drop them in this comment section or shoot us an @ on twitter~


	2. The Twelve Dancing Princesses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was no turning back now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! It’s Savi again, aka @thechoisoobean! We told you we’d be back! I’m just happy you came back too, were so happy to have you😭
> 
> If you’re back for more, thank you for sticking with us to chapter two and of this is your first time, WELCOME!
> 
> I hope you can tell how much effort we put into this. I’m gonna stop talking now so Val can write her little thing and you can get to reading-
> 
> HI THIS IS VAL *insert pyu pyu noises* :D As promised, update!!! Thank u for reading this far ;3c it is appreciated~ I want you to enjoy this chapter and hopefully you catch all the little symbolism and hidden meanings!!! also the thing about the one shot is still on if anyone likes that lmao :p aight, goobai then!!! read on young moa

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_"Then the king made it known to all the land, that if any person could discover the secret, and find out where it was that the princesses danced in the night, he should have the one he liked best for his wife, and should be king after his death; but whoever tried and did not succeed, after three days and nights, should be put to death."_

-Twelve Dancing Princesses, _Grimm's Fairy Tales._

* * *

Kai wakes up when the door he’s leaning against is pulled open by his butler, dumping him onto the gravel below as the sun lazily pulls its last tendrils of light free from the horizon and rises higher in the sky. The sword and his pack land heavily on top of him, knocking the air out of his lungs and sending his butler into a concerned frenzy.

“Oh, your highness! Are you alright? I’m so very sorry, I thought you might be awake as you were sitting up!” he frets, buzzing above Kai as he pulls the things off him and tenderly checks him for injuries. “Do you require medical attention? Does it-”

“I’m okay,” Kai groans, “It’s okay, just. Give me a second.”

He stretches his limbs, wincing at the dreadful ache in his neck from the uncomfortable sleeping position, and pats at the sore spots until the pain is nothing more than just a hum beneath his skin. His eyes blink blearily, squinting over the head of his butler at their destination. 

The cold, tall spires of the unfamiliar castle loom over them, casting enough of a shadow that his vision adjusts as if he were within a darkened room rather than outdoors. The decorative flags are an intense dark green, and as he’s looking workers are replacing one seemingly brand new flag with another in the exact same condition, save perhaps a bit of a damp spot in the corner of the ‘old’ flag. He thinks of the proudly frayed flags present in his own kingdom, and frowns, wondering how often these people just replace things for the sake of image.

When Kai takes the hand of his butler and rises to his feet, he’s surprised to find the marble stone of the square is pristine, leaving no dirt or filth on his clothes. Any of the red, brown, or yellow leaves that fell from the surrounding trees were swept up within minutes, if any dropped at all, as most trees were carefully positioned evergreens.

It was eerily perfect.

They make their way towards the gargantuan cast iron gates briskly and quietly, waving at the surly workers as they pass by. Kai's butler extends a hand to knock when they approach, but the doors are opened by a pair of similarly dressed maids, in perfect unison.

"Come in," they say, almost as if they were secretaries and not maids, "Please refer to the board on the left for appointments with the King and Queen. If you have any questions ask the receptionist on the right."

Kai nods, bowing curtly as he turns to the right to speak with the receptionist. His leather boots click as he walks down the marble halls, his own home was made of regular stone. He honestly wondered what kind of money this kingdom was bringing in.

“Um, hi, I’d like to speak with the king and queen as soon as possible please?” The young prince asked as he approached the counter, “I’m Prince Huening Kai, crown prince of the Moa Kingdom?”

His title made the lady at the counter immediately snap to attention and her eyes lit up as she noticed the crown seated upon his chocolate brown mop of hair.

That light immediately went out as she opened her mouth, “The next available appointment is in two weeks.”

“Two weeks?! No no no, that won’t do. Are you sure there isn’t anything else?!” Kai panicked, he was screwed if he couldn’t leave by night, his parents would realize he wasn’t home and come get him.

“When is their next free moment?” The prince inquires, quickly pulling himself back to composure.

“They eat dinner at ten, then go to bed.” The woman replies in a monotone as she continues to go through her schedule book. Kai nods sagely, and sees a little pamphlet about catering at the palace.

“And...Where’s their dining hall?” he asks innocently. The woman shoots him a look, and he raises up his hands in surrender. “I’m asking because I...saw you did events sometimes?”

She narrows her eyes, but answers anyway, “Eastern wing. Event commissioning has to take place at least a month before the event itself, to arrange for certain fees and...”

Kai stops listening, but nods every now and then. As the woman talks he builds a plan inside his head and thinks, what could go wrong?

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───  
  
  


After the sun had bid its goodbyes to the sky and the moon swung in an arc high above the land, Kai found himself outside the castle once more, this time near a window on the eastern side rather than the front. In town his butler snored soundly on his bed, deaf to him having snuck out of the adjointed inn room. The sword on his back glew faintly from underneath the canvas bag he’d wrapped it in, a heavy reminder of his purpose.

He took in a deep breath before grabbing the side of the stone palace and climbing up the mossy side. He may not look athletic from the outside but he had two sisters, he had to find a way to escape sometimes, which meant hiding in a lot of trees. He braces himself as a gust of cool wind blows across his back, rattling his sword and his pack of supplies. Knocking his gold and diamond encrusted crown from his head with a metallic clank. But he kept a firm grip the entire way up, determination and adrenaline pumping through his veins, giving him the willpower to keep pushing. He looks down to check his progress-

The ground is a mere five feet away, grinning at him mockingly as he struggles to keep himself on the wall. Kai sighs and goes as far as he can, grabbing a hold of a windowsill and lifting himself onto it with the last of his strength.

“I’m coming Kang Taehyun,” he whispers to himself as he clumsily falls through the windowsill with an oof, startling the maids and butlers who were organizing dinner. 

One of the maids touches his shoulder, “Are you the new boy? You could’ve just come in through the staff door if you were late!”

“Oh, I’m not-Uh, yes I am THE new boy! I um, I missed everything, could you help me?” Kai smiles pleadingly at her, scratching the back of his head nervously.

“Yes, just uh, grab the plates of pies over there and come with me!” the woman ushers him forward, shoving him towards the mass of dishes on a cart being pushed by a disgruntled butler, atop which lies a massive apple pie surrounded by a dozen miniature ones of different flavors and designs. 

Kai follows her skillful weaving through the bustling servants with cautious, giddy strides, until they stand near a seemingly random wall in the hall. Before he can ask about it the maid presses lightly on one of the golden fleurs-de-lis on the wallpaper. The formerly seamless wall clicks in and out to the hall, revealing a hidden door. 

“What-” the maid shushes him rapidly, opening the door a sliver and gesturing for him to look inside. Within he’s greeted by a burst of light originating from a massive chandelier that hangs above a polished wooden table, decorated grandly with dark green table runners and burnt orange centerpieces that are covered with what must be a hundred dishes, maybe more. Before he can see the people sitting at the table, the maid closes the door, plunging his sight into darkness while his eyes get used to the lower light levels of the hall once more.

The maid snaps her fingers at him, “Now, what you’re going to do is go in there with those pies, turn right, and walk them up to the king. You’re gonna set it down near him, and then _walk away_ , preferably following another butler out a door. Don’t linger, don’t make eye contact, and for the love of God _don’t speak_. The King HATES it when people talk to him without permission, and even worse if they talk back after making a mistake. If you mess up, stand there and take it until he’s done, Capische?”

Kai nods.

“Gonna need verbal confirmation for that one.”

“I got it!” he says defensively, saluting and pulling up the plate with the pies that’d been sagging in his grip. The maid sighs, but presses the door open once more.

“Good luck, newbie.”

Kai strides into the luminous flood confidently, turning right as instructed before finally laying eyes on the King and placing the pie down.

That was the easy part, now what?

Kai panics, scrambling for his line before deciding on asking the obvious question, “Where did you put the prince?”

The king chokes on the water he was drinking from his chalice as Kai stands and watches, blank expression on his face as he watches the king struggle. He pulls up the scarf on his face before the king can register it.

“What did you say?” The king sneers slowly as the other butlers freeze in their tracks.

“Keep it pushing, mind your own business.” Kai snaps as the butlers and maids continue to stare. The young prince rolls his eyes before pulling out his sword, unskilled to the trained eye, threatening to not. They scramble immediately and Kai smirks underneath the fabric.

He’s kinda good at this whole storming a castle thing.

“Where did you get that-“ The king stops, recognizing the bejeweled hilt of the rose gold sword the prince messily gripped in his hand. He quirked an eyebrow at the detail.

He now realized the boy couldn’t hurt a fly, in fact, a fly could probably take him down. The king knew Kai was just playing one big game of pretend, he wasn’t an actual threat.

“I asked you a question, where is the prince?” Kai growls, holding his sword to the King’s neck as it glistens under the light of the chandelier.

“He’s in the Mabeob Forest.” The King admits, poised despite the sharp iron threatening his throat, “It’s a three day journey straight north, when the trees start getting thinner you’ll see the tower in the distance.”

Kai smiles now, this was surprisingly easy.

He almost steps away from the King when the man whispers something that chills him to the bone.

“What makes you think you’re good enough to save him?”

“Get the boy!” Guards yell and Kai panics, again, he’s really gotta get used to making quick decisions. 

He hops on the table, running down it before making the split second choice to jump out the window at the end and onto the roof of the barn he’d seen that afternoon, close below it. He feels the wind blow his long wavy hair and his heartbeat thrum in his ears as he lands with a thump on the wooden roof and slides down into a pile of hay before running as fast as his legs could take him into the forest.

There was no turning back now.

He runs and runs until he can’t anymore, he jumps over logs and runs through bushes before his body finally gives out and he drops to his knees. He struggles to catch his breath and loses consciousness right as a large looming figure comes into view.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

A butler rushes to the table, fretting over the King who relaxed leisurely in his seat, ultimately unharmed by the ‘intruder’.

He looks back on the intrepid thing and both confuses and terrifies the butler by chuckling to himself.

_A crow-tit in a rat race,_ the King thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: I hope you enjoyed this one~ The story is still progressing very slowly at this point but I promise it gets more exciting uwu!!! Feel free to comment, leave kudos, and share it with all your moa friendoes who might like it!!! See you Saturday!


	3. The (Un)Selfish Giant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His journey hadn’t even begun and he already wanted to give up and turn around.

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“ _And the child smiled on the Giant, and said to him, 'You let me play once in your garden, to-day you shall come with me to my garden, which is Paradise._ ”

― Oscar Wilde, _The Selfish Giant_

* * *

“H-Hello? A-Are you alright?” A shaky voice calls before cutting itself off, “Of course he isn’t Soobin, he’s dead. He collapsed right in front of you remember?!”

“I-I’m not dead.” Kai groans as he sits up on his elbows right before they buckle and leave him flat on his back once more.

“Oh! That’s good, fantastic actually!” The figure says, still blurry in Kai’s half conscious vision, “Um, you seem to be a little weak still, would you like some water?”

Kai nodded, head resting in the grass as he covered his eyes with his heavy arms. He didn’t feel like moving ever again. His journey hadn’t even begun and he already wanted to give up and turn around.

The young prince ran the whole situation through his mind, he imagined Lia having a son after his parents sent him away to who knows where. He imagined them putting that kid on the throne without even telling him or asking his permission.

He would feel so...so _violated_.

Taehyun still had a choice and Kai wasn’t going to let them take it from him.

He grunted before forcing himself to sit up, he had to, for Taehyun. It was the whole reason he was out here. He couldn’t give up just yet, or ever for that matter.

“Woah, okay, you’re up fast,” Soobin yelps, “Maybe you should rest for a little longer.” 

“I gotta get going I have- OH MY GOODNESS YOU’RE HUGE!” Kai practically screams as he backs into a tree with a thud, knocking any remaining air from his lungs.

Soobin winces, shrinking in on himself as he shakily hands Kai the wooden cup of water.

“F-For a second I thought you didn’t notice or didn’t care, but I don’t know what I was thinking. Of course you noticed, I’m a giant elf for Nymph’s sake.” Soobin huffed as he turned around and dropped to the ground, causing it to shake beneath his weight.

“Usually when pretty people like you come into the forest, it’s to hunt me, the giant elf, or some other forest creatures. I barely escape with my life every time but I always help them in the beginning with a splash of hope that they’ll spare me.” Soobin sighs as he curls into a ball, pulling his knees to his chest, “So go ahead, quite literally stab me in the back and get your quest over with.”

Kai listened to what the elf(?!) had said and he was honestly surprised. He grew up thinking mystical forest critters were only in stories, but apparently, they were real.

“I don’t wanna hurt you big guy, don’t worry.” Kai smiles warmly as he stood shakily and walked, well more like stumbled, over to Soobin. 

The elf looked up at Kai through thick lenses, little twigs with pink flowers sprouting around the frame, making him look quite adorable. Fluffy earth-colored hair, patched with moss, covered most of his forehead and pointy ears, little sprouts coming from the top of his head. The light of the dawn illuminated his hazel green eyes and brought out the adorable strawberry seed freckles on his marshmallow-like cheeks, where deep dimples sunk in the spaces next to his lips.

“R-Really? Or are you saying this just to get into my head?” Soobin gapes and Kai shook his head.

“I’m Prince Huening Kai, but you can call me whatever you want, you don’t have to use all that your highness stuff. What’s your name?” Kai introduces sweetly and Soobin looked like he was about to burst into tears.

“I-I’m Soobin, s-supposed elf protector of the Mabeob Forest,” he fidgets, still awestruck over the fact that Kai had asked his name, “I-What’re you doing here then? If you’re not going to hunt me?”

“I’m on a different quest, I have to save a prince from a tower!” Kai beams and Soobin gasps.

“C-Could I come with you?! I can help you navigate the forest! I-I know everything about it! I’ve lived here my whole life and I could help, please!” Soobin begs as he shifts onto his knees, hands locked together, “I-I’m also kinda lonely and you’re the first person to ever not try to kill me.”

“Um, I don’t know,” Kai hesitated, to be honest, he was kinda scared of Soobin. He was huge and skittish and from what he learned from playing games, the more people you have in a team the more people can get hurt or even worse, die.

The last thing he wanted to do was put the innocent forest elf in danger.

But Soobin looked so, precious, it seemed as if it was impossible to say no.

So he said, “Yeah sure, I can use every piece of help I can get.”

Soobin squeals and jumps up, knocking Kai from his feet as the earth shook.

“Thank you! I promise you won’t regret it!” The elf exclaims as he pulls Kai into a tight, bone crushing hug. Kai is squished against him, nose flooding with the scent of pine and sweet wildberries, feeling his back crack painfully. 

“You’re crushing me!” Kai cries.

“Sorry!” Soobin releases him quickly, rubbing his back as Kai coughs and chokes on the rush of air in his lungs. Kai hears a bell-like jingling, and feels warmth bubble over his shoulder blades. The pain melts away, and the warmth soothes his throat like honey. He looks over his shoulder and sees Soobin sticking his little pink tongue out in focus, yellowish-orange sparks popping like stars from his hand onto Kai’s back.

“Is that...magic?” Kai gasps, mesmerized by the beautiful lights until they fade away with another bell-like jingle. Soobin flushes prettily, seeded cheeks reddening like ripe strawberries, and nods. “That’s so cool!”

“You like it?” Soobin grins, dimples deepening into his dough-like cheeks, “It is pretty, isn’t it?”

Kai bounces joyfully, “Pretty _and_ useful!”

As Soobin scrunches his nose, smiling even wider, Kai dusts off his pants and looks around for the tell-tale rose gold of Taehyun’s sword. He spots it by the roots of a thick-barked tree, covered in lichens that swirl in unnatural patterns around the grooves in the wood. A few feet away lies his pack, one strap broken with a pair of shoes spilling out. He grabs the pack first, stuffing the shoes back inside and putting it on with the remaining strap across his chest. Kai grabs the sword and slides it out of its still-glowing sheath worriedly, but hears a loud yelp behind him. 

“Th-That’s-” Soobin points at the sword nervously, “Is it safe for you to have that? Wouldn’t you hurt yourself if you used it?”

Kai waves him off, sheathing the sword once more and looping it onto his shoulder. He reaches into his pocket, pulling out a tiny iron compass engraved with a plum flower, his family’s crest. Wind blows over the canopy above as he turns until the compass is pointing north, setting off a chain of falling leaves that herd Soobin to his side.

“Due north?” Soobin blinks, “I would’ve thought they’d keep a prince to the west rather than that! That way no one would find him!”

“What’s to the west?”

Soobin points. Kai looks to where his finger leads and sees a large, dark, almost cloud-like mass casting a shadow against the sky, reaching taller than anything he’s ever seen as it disappears into the clouds. A closer look reveals the outline of immense trees, dozens and dozens of them clustered together in the distance. He gulps.

“It’s the Baobab Woods,” Soobin answers the unspoken question, “As close to World Trees as we’ve got this side of the planet. I don’t think anyone has actually made it past the outer edges in centuries, so it’s impossible to know how high they go or what’s in there. I’d hate to see one fall.”

Kai grips his compass tighter, turning away from the Woods and straight north, towards the tower, “My source told me it was north, so we won’t have to go...there. At least it’s not to the east?”

Soobin nods, then jumps, exclaiming, "Oh! wait here!"

Kai looks in amazement as Soobin takes off through the trees, long strides shaking branches until he vanishes into the brush. He waits for what feels like a long time, and just as he's about to despair and go on by himself Soobin returns, carrying a small cloth bag with a tied opening in the front that looks like it's about to burst at the seams.

"I had to get my things, sorry," Soobin says, "I can summon many things I need, but I like to have my own clothes!"

Kai squints, "It all fits in there?"

Soobin nods, but Kai is not convinced. He resolves to figure it out in the time it takes them to save Taehyun.

Soobin shrugs dismissively, and with a soft jingle the trees and bushes in their path crawl back just enough to create an opening they can walk through. The elf and the prince set off through the forest.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Soobin and Kai walk for a while in silence, Kai enjoying the scenery because he had never been on a forest before. 

The leaves came in all shades of red, orange, and yellow as the warm midday sunlight beamed down through them. Each step they took was satisfying and crunchy and Kai tried to make every step sound that way, addicted to the noise. But every once and a while he would look up and notice Soobin quickly looking away, cheeks turning a rosy pink.

“Are you okay so far?” Kai asked, looking up from his compass. Soobin nodded, not speaking a word.

“H-How long have you lived in the forest?” The prince asks, trying a simple question to draw the elf from his shell.

Soobin shyly looks up from his wringing hands, “In elf or human years?”

Kai had no idea there was a difference, “Both I guess.” he shrugs.

“Eighteen in human years, eighteen hundred in elf ones. Every hundred years is a human year.”

“WOAH SO-“

“I’m really really old. I turn nineteen hundred this year, actually.”

“THAT’S AMAZING!”

“Not really, my grandmother claims she’s been here since the beginning of time.” Soobin scoffs, crossing his arms in annoyance, “I don’t know how she had kids, she never got with anyone. I try not to think about that too much.”

The prince’s interest is piqued as his eyes twinkle with curiosity and he practically bounces with excitement, “What’s your village like?!”

“Well,” Soobin starts awkwardly shoving his giant hands in his pockets, “It’s not too big, literally, all the houses are super small. Population wise too, everybody knows everyone. I didn’t have many friends growing up though.”

“Why?! You’re super adorable and sweet!”

“But I’m also double the size of everyone, if not more.”

“And?”

“That made me an outcast, nobody wanted to be friends with the kid who couldn’t even fit through their front door!” Soobin huffs in frustration as he pushes up his glasses.

“Yeah you’re kinda big, but so are the doors at the palace, you could easily walk through them.” Kai beamed and Soobin stared at him blankly.

“Seriously?! Y-You screamed that I was huge when we first met.”

“I’ve gotten used to your size now.”

Soobin opened his mouth but quickly closed it, deciding that he wasn’t going to ask.

They walked in silence for a bit more before Kai opens his mouth to speak, “Is there a size requirement?”

“No.”

“Are there any other requirements?”

“Never fall in love with a mortal.”

Kai chokes on seemingly nothing, “That’s random.”

“Not really if you think about it.” Soobin shrugs, wrapping his arms around his torso and crossing them, “It’s protection.”

“From what?”

“Getting our hearts broken.”

“Oh.”

“Imagine living hundreds of years and your spouse barely living past fifty. That kind of loss and heartbreak...” Soobin explains solemnly and Kai nods in understanding.

“What if you fell in love by accident?” he wonders.

Soobin grimaces, “Then it can’t be helped―You’d still be kicked out, but you’d probably be able to convince the elders to let you back in the village once they passed away. That is, if you survive.”

“IF you survive!? Is there some kind of deadly test!?” Kai startles, a deep furrow marring his forehead.

“No, It’s-” Soobin shakes his head, hesitating, “Elves mate for life. If our partner dies, we usually aren’t far behind, whether of starvation or...just plain grief.”

“That’s…”

“Most of us don’t worry about it. After all, we don’t really meet mortals often enough to fall in love, and the odds that we’re already mated before meeting one are bigger than the contrary,” Soobin reassures him gently, yawning behind his palm as he finishes talking.

Kai looks up at the sky and notes the sun sliding lower and lower as the day starts coming to an end.

“Would you fall in love with me?” he asks suddenly, catching the elf off guard. Soobin stops walking and stares at him, open-mouthed, redness rushing up his neck and blooming in his cheeks all the way up to the pointy tips of his ears.

“What kind of-What even-Why would you-” He stutters our in a panic, putting his face in his hands and whimpering softly. Kai laughs raucously, poking his finger at Soobin’s side.

“You didn’t answer the question!” The young prince teases playfully, enjoying watching Soobin fluster so easily.

“I-You-Shut up! Keep walking!”

“Wha-Hey! Your legs are longer, slow down!”

Eventually Soobin slows down, matching his strides to Kai’s and proceeding to lag behind until he’s just barely lumbering along almost ten paces behind Kai’s skipping form. The sun peeks above the horizon, now almost fully obscured by the trees and still sinking.

“Can we-” Soobin yawns quietly, screwing up his eyes and rubbing them sleepily, “C’n we stop s’n? ‘M kinda...gettin’ tir’d…”

Kai turns around, walking backwards and occasionally looking over his shoulder to make sure he doesn’t crash into a tree, “Are you sure? We still have some light! I bet we can walk a bit more into the night before it’s impossible to see!”

Soobin blinks repeatedly, opening and closing his mouth several times before forming a sentence, “Don’ usuall’ stay ‘p this l’te…”

Marking his point, the sun finally sinks just below the canopy line, filtering a few scant rays that make barely enough light to see. As if on cue Soobin sags forward, dragging his feet through the leaves and struggling to keep himself upright, yawning widely.

Soobin trips over his own feet before Kai stops and catches him, immediately regretting it as Soobin’s full weight drops on top of him.

“Oh, my god, w-why are you so heavy?!” Kai yelps as he slowly lowers Soobin to the ground. His only response is a thundering snore and the boy quickly covers his ears. He uses all of his remaining strength and energy to roll the giant elf onto his side, quieting the snoring right as the last of the light disappears over the horizon.

“I’ve never seen anything like that in my entire life.” Kai wheezes, bent over as he catches his fleeting breath. He sits down, crossing his legs, and pulls the pack from his back into his lap.

Kai extracts the thin pair of blankets he’d managed to stuff in the bag, the lightest pair possible and definitely lackluster with the wind’s chill in the air. He tosses one as best as he can over Soobin, covering as much of him as possible. He rests his bag a little ways away from them, leaning his sword against a nearby tree, and wraps himself up as tight as he can with the remaining blanket.

Sleep finds him sooner rather than later, and he drops off into dreamland with the wind―and Soobin―breathing in his ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: Sorry for the delay! See you Wednesday~


	4. Hansel and Gretel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Is he important to you?” he asks.
> 
> “...Yes.” Kai admits softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V:and another one! right on schedule~ Enjoy!

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“ _At daybreak, even before sunrise, the woman came and woke the two children. ‘Get up, you lazybones. We are going into the woods to fetch wood.’ Then she gave each one a little piece of bread, saying, ‘Here is something for midday. Don't eat it any sooner, for you'll not get any more.’_ "  
-Hansel and Gretel, _Grimm’s Fairy Tales_

* * *

The sun peeks over the horizon, bringing light into the day.

And, apparently, a growl from the bushes. Not an angry growl, unless you considered his stomach angry, but a hungry growl.

His nose twitches at the scent of something yummy, bread? Meat maybe? He didn’t know, but what he did know is that it was conveniently right next to where he fell asleep the previous night.

He poked his silver eyes above the bushes to see what seemed to be two sleeping forms, one gigantic and one tiny, and a bag not too far away from the smaller. He smirked before leaping through the bushes swiftly and silently, landing right next to the small boy.

He was angelic.

Two hands delicately tucked beneath his soft rosy cheeks. Brown mop of hair falling neatly into his face as if placed to perfection. He was curled up right next to the giant sweetly, and he couldn’t help but let a small fond smile grow on his face.

But food, that put an even bigger smile on his face.

He quickly nabbed the bag and messily dumped its contents onto the ground, gasping at the amount of goodies hidden inside. The tiny boy shifted, and he squealed quietly as he stuffed his cheeks with bread and meat, he was pretty sure there was a cookie in the bag too.

He ate until he was full and satisfied, hiccuping quietly as he patted his now filled stomach. He pulled the cookie from the bag and pulled back the paper, but not before noticing something glitter in the corner of his eye.

The sun had come up above the horizon now and its light was now reflecting against something shiny resting on the tree. He licked his lips before getting on all fours and crawling towards it. He was mesmerized by its sparkle as he held it closer to his face and took a bite.

“Owwie!” He yelps loudly before throwing the sword on the ground and backing towards the tree, hitting it with a whimper.

Soobin startles at the screech and notices the being beneath the tree, he was sitting and waiting for Kai to wake up as he made a little daisy chain. He didn’t even notice the creature emerge…

He frantically stands up, tossing the blanket Kai had put on him onto the younger’s head, causing him to startle awake.

“Wh-What is it?!” Kai exclaims, still half asleep after being woken up so abruptly. He rips the blanket from his head as Soobin runs and hides behind a tree, pointing shakily at the creature holding his mouth in pain.

Kai stares for a bit, he knows he shouldn’t but he can’t help it. He’s just so- interesting.

Human face; cat-like silver eyes; full chubby cheeks; and pillowy pink lips. But between those lips laid two rows of sharp teeth, canines standing out like warnings. Most noticeably, large antler-like horns stuck unevenly out of the top of his blue hair, one taller and thicker than the other.

Kai goes to reach for his sword but he suddenly realizes it’s at the side of the monster, cast aside like an angry child’s toy.

“W-Who are you?! What are you?!” Kai practically yells, more awake now with the adrenaline in his veins. His eyes look around for something to use as a weapon, landing on the pack with all its contents strewn out across the ground.

“That was our food!”

The being furrows his lips, pouting and rubbing his jaw defensively, “I found it-hic!-next to me, so it was-hic!-mine!”

“You-You can’t just ‘Finders Keepers’ someone else’s food!” The prince cries indignantly. A crunching sound comes from the tree Soobin is hiding behind, his hands gripping it so tightly the wood warps under his fingers.

“And why not?” the being counters, stomping one of his feet on the ground but having the effect ruined by hiccuping loudly, “I need it!”

“You-” Kai huffs, “You just don’t, it doesn’t belong to you, it’s stealing!”

At that He pauses, tilting his head, “That’s-hic!-bad?”

"Of course it is! You're-" Kai runs a palm over his face when he interrupts him with the loudest hiccup yet, physically moving up and down from the force of it, the creature’s face twists in pain as he holds his sides.

Soobin seems to gain some bravado, piping up from behind the tree softly, "D-Do you need some water?"

The being muffles a hiccup behind a closed fist, nodding eagerly at him, eyes wide and innocent. Kai stands as intimidatingly as he can as Soobin moves forward carefully, grabbing a flask that lay forgotten to one side, thrown out of Kai's pack in a rush. He unscrews the cap and holds it out, flinching when the being grabs it out of his hand and turns it over into his mouth, gulping it down greedily.  
  


The being stops drinking with a satisfying pop, holding his breath for a moment before exhaling, “You. You’re nice. I like that!”

Soobin blushed, pursing his lips, “Who are you? What were you doing here?”

“I’m Yeonjun,” he says, sticking out his tongue. “And I was sleeping, just like you.”

Before Soobin can speak again Kai lunges for Taehyun’s sword, still within its sheath, and swings it at Yeonjun with a war cry. Yeonjun sidesteps him and pushes him forward, plucking the sword almost delicately out of his grasp. Kai falls on his stomach with an oomph, arms out and knees bent. Yeonjun sits on his back, earning a pained groan from the prince as he stares at the sword, swishing it through the air experimentally.

“That wasn’t nice,” Yeonjun bonks Kai’s head once with the hilt of the sword, not hard enough to hurt but enough to quiet him with shock, “Be nice!”

Kai tries to lift himself, grunting at the heavy weight of Yeonjun’s pudgy body until he pauses, hearing a light and full-bodied laugh come from a familiar voice. He looks up to see Soobin cupping his palm over lips, crossing his other arm over his belly, giggling and laughing with abandon. All around them little sprouts emerge from the ground, turning into dandelions, daisies, tulips, celandines, and dozens of other little wildflowers of every colour and height until the ground is littered with their bright visage.

Yeonjun leans off him, allowing Kai to scurry away, and kneels in front of a bright purple pansy. He plucks it curiously, spinning the stem over between his thumb and forefinger before popping the whole flowerhead into his mouth, biting it off and chewing it carefully.

“Minty,” he says casually, as if eating flowers were normal, “Needs chocolate.”

Soobin regains his composure, raising his eyebrows and grimacing, “Mint chocolate? That’s kind of-”

“Perfect!” Kai cries, ecstatic to finally meet someone else who enjoys the treat as much as he does, “It’s perfect!”

Yeonjun smiles brightly, showing off his pointy teeth that suddenly seem less threatening and more playful, cheeks rounding out and bunching up near his eyes.

“Do you really like mint chocolate?” he asks Kai, eyes glittering. Kai sees Soobin over Yeonjun’s head, making stop motions behind his back. Kai winks at him and smiles at Yeonjun.

“I do, and I can get you some if you do a couple of things for me!”

Yeonjun scrunches his nose, “What things?”

Kai lifts one finger.

“First, you have to promise to not steal anymore. It’s not right, and the people you steal from could need those things too!”

Yeonjun pouts, but nods harshly, “What else?”

Soobin mouths ‘bad idea’ at Kai. Kai is not deterred.

“You have to help me save someone special,” he says in an almost whisper, as if what he was saying was a secret, “He’s a prince locked up in a tower, and he’s very important to a lot of people.”

Yeonjun stands as Soobin facepalms silently, brushing some dust off the knees of his torn cloth pants. He puts his hands on his hips dramatically, thinking about it long and hard, before coming to a decision.

“Is he important to you?” he asks.

“...Yes.” Kai admits softly.

Yeonjun smiles and extends his pudgy right hand, “Then I’ll help!”

Kai shakes it, feeling his soft palms contrast Yeonjun’s callused ones, “Friends?”

“F-Friends?” Yeonjun stutters, gulping awkwardly in the sudden silence as his face turns red.

Kai nods slowly, “Yeah, friends… have you ever had a friend?”

“Uhm,” Yeonjun cracks his knuckles nervously, stepping back and closer to Soobin who approached them warily. “No?”

“We’ll be your first then!” Kai says, unwilling to pry with Yeonjun so uncomfortable with the topic. Yeonjun looks to Soobin for his input, and Kai sends him a pointed look as Soobin bites his lip before nodding, neck turning pink.

“Friends,” Soobin says, a little bit of a lisp leaking into his voice. Kai claps once, making Yeonjun jump at the sudden noise.

“That’s settled then! Off we go!”

He looks for the sword Yeonjun dropped and sighs as he sees all the contents of his pack strewn out over the forest floor.

“Let’s pick this up first, shall we?” Soobin says humorously. Yeonjun giggles behind his hand, and Kai’s cheeks flush lightly before he bends over to pick up a dropped bag of candies saved from Yeonjun’s hungry rampage.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Yeonjun eats a LOT, they’ve noticed.

He stops off every once and a while to pick a handful of berries off a bush or pick a few apples from a tree. Which, Kai has noticed, don’t last him long as he constantly drops apple stems(he eats the cores)in a trail behind him. He’s only stopped once and was to pick a seed out of his teeth with a stick.

He wanted to ask, but he felt that might be rude. He wanted to ask a lot but Yeonjun didn’t seem to want to talk about his past, or at all really. Maybe he avoided conversation by keeping his mouth full. Quite a smart way to get out of talking if you asked him.

Another thing Kai noticed was Soobin constantly looking at Yeonjun and asking him if he was alright. The creature, they still had no idea what he was, always brightly responded with a full cheeked yes.

Apparently that was enough for Soobin.

He would get startled every once in a while by Yeonjun’s random burps and hiccups, but regardless, he seemed to be growing on the elf.

“Mint choco for the win.” He silently cheered to himself and Soobin rolled his eyes.

“I don’t know that you’re talking about but mint chocolate is still disgusting.”

Kai jumped, “You heard that?!”

Soobin tapped his giant pointed ears, “Duh.”

“Do you have like, super hearing or something?!” Kai exclaims, once again bouncing with curiosity as he learned more about the giant elf.

“No, I don't think so at least. Sometimes it’s annoying, I hear EVERYTHING so it took me a while to get used to that and figure out where everything goes, “ Soobin shrugged, “When I was younger I used to get horrible migraines cause I would get overwhelmed so easily. But now I can basically choose what I want to and don’t want to hear, as long as it's not _too_ loud.”

“Is that why you jump every time Yeonjun-ssi makes a noise?” The young prince innocently asks.

“Uh-“

“Why do you keep calling me Yeonjun-ssi?! I told you to call me Yeonjun, just Yeonjun.” The creature pouts as he crosses his arms over his now full stomach, it took a few hours but his hunger was finally sated once more.

“It’s called an honorific, since you're probably older than him it’s a way to show respect.” Soobin explained, “If you feel close enough to him or me, you can let us call you Hyung, it’s basically our way of calling you our big brother.”

Respect? Brothers? God he had a lot to learn about society.

“H-Honestly, I’ve never had any of those things before.” Yeonjun admitted softly, head bowed in embarrassment.

“Well, now you do Yeonjun-ssi.” Soobin smiled.

“HYUNG! I-I mean, you can call me Hyung, b-both of you.” The creature permissed, eyes flicking from their faces to the ground.

“Yeonjun-hyung.” Kai beamed, when he said it Yeonjun got a fluttering feeling in the pit of his stomach, as if he had swallowed butterflies, which he had done multiple times.

“I feel like I swallowed a ton of butterflies, which I don’t remember snacking on.” Yeonjun admitted naively, mumbling to himself and Soobin almost melted, he was like a small child, innocent and oblivious. It almost made him question if Yeonjun really was older.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?” The elf asks and Yeonjun shrugs.

“The lil’ branches coming off my antlers represent my age, I know I’m over fifteen but I always get confused on what comes next…” Yeonjun admits, chuckling awkwardly as he points to the top of his head. Kai quickly counts off twenty little horns and puts a finger to his chin.

“Aren’t you-“ He starts pointing at Soobin.

“YOUNGER?! YES!” Soobin exclaims frantically, awkward smile on his face as he nudges Kai so hard he hits the ground.

“But you’re-“ Kais groans, spitting out dirt.

“ONLY EIGHTEEN!”

“I swear you told me-“

Yeonjun’s eyes flicker back and forth quickly as he follows the odd conversation that he clearly knows nothing about.

“THAT I’M EIGHTEEN YES!”

“But…”

“SHUT UP HUENING KAI!” Soobin snaps through his teeth and Kai shrugs before continuing to walk, dusting leaves off his clothes.

“Okay…” Yeonjun confusedly mumbles before quietly following behind.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Kai looked nervously between Soobin and the setting sun, noticing the elf slowly beginning to droop forward with tiredness. They were making good progress, enough that he wasn’t worried about the timing of their arrival, but the concern that he’d drop in an unfortunate position was enough to put him on edge.

His lack of subtlety means Soobin eventually turns around, eyelids sagging under his lenses, and pins him with a pointed look.

“You haven’t said anything in twenty minutes but you’re looking at me in a way that’s telling me I should fear for my life, “ Soobin says bluntly, yawning discreetly with his lips pressed tight. “What’s wrong?”

Kai hunches his shoulders, “Uh, It’s kind of-You go to bed really early, right?”

“Yeah, so?”

“Have you noticed you get tired around any specific time?”

Soobin squints at him dubiously.

“What are you saying?” he asks.

“Yeah,” Yeonjun stage-whispers, “What ARE you saying?”

Kai sighs, “Soobin-ssi, you fell asleep as soon as the sun went down last night. You’re getting more tired as the sun is setting. Are you telling me you haven’t seen the connection?”

Soobin blinks slowly, perplexed, “I...I’ve never th-”

He yawns as a low-hanging cloud passes over the sun, obscuring its light as if it had set for a few precious moments.

Yeonjun looks at him, “Oh. I get it! Soobinie’s like a flower that goes to bed with the sun!”

“More like with the sun _light_ ,” corrects Kai, “Soobin-ssi, have you ever spent a whole night awake?”

“A few times?” Soobin thinks back carefully, eyes widening -as much as they could- from some sort of epiphany as he speaks. “Those were back when I was little, though, when the village had a festival and kept the...lights...on. Oh.”

Kai tilts his head, “So as long as you have a light you can stay awake? Are you a plant or something?”

Unexpectedly, Soobin flinches, biting his lip.

“If he sleeps without light, then why not make some?” Yeonjun asks, drawing Kai’s attention from the odd reaction. A stray ray of sun siphons into Kai's path, landing squarely in the middle of a pile of branches and leaves.

Kai has an idea.

"Could fire work?" he wonders.

"If it's bright enough," Soobin speculates, "But we wouldn't be able to move with one that big. Are you sure you want to use it?"

Kai nods. Yeonjun hops in place excitedly as they begin to gather supplies for a fire pit, picking up dry twigs and long chunks of green wood so it would burn slower, with the downside of generating a veritable tonne of smoke. It takes them the good part of an hour to build it, but a fraction of as much to light it as Soobin sets fire to it using magic with a wave of his hand and the jingle of a bell.

It's not until they're sitting at a group of rocks beside the fire, with the sun just barely over the horizon, that Kai dares speak again.

"Soobin-ssi?" he begins.

The elf in question shakes his head, "I was going to say earlier, but you can use 'Hyung' for me too- I don't mind."

"Soobin-hyung then," the Prince concedes, "Is there a reason you reacted that way when I mentioned plants?"

The air goes quiet for a fraction of a second. Soobin looks around nervously, seeking an exit, but ends up pulling his knees to his chest atop of the large boulder he’s sitting in.

Yeonjun lies across his own stone, staring at Soobin from across the fire, “Is it a bad thought?”

Soobin sighs, “I-It’s not about the plants per se, just, something I don’t really like talking about .”

“Do you mind if we ask why?” Kai says gently. Soobin pauses, before shaking his head.

“N-No, I can tell you. Just give me a second, please,” he whispers. Kai and Yeonjun give him a pair of nods, waiting patiently. Soobin’s shadow is long and flickering behind him when he breaks the silence.

“I’m not exactly the picture of a normal elf,” Soobin starts, taking a deep breath and exhaling, “They’re all much smaller than I am, for one. Another thing they don’t have is all of my…decorations? I have the ears and the eye colour, but that’s about where the resemblance ends.”

He draws in a shaky breath, mouth dry and throat tight.

“The reason is...The reason for that is that I’m not wholly an elf. My mother was a Dryad, a Forest Nymph. T-That’s why I look like this, and it’s why I haven’t- haven’t been to my village in centuries.”

Kai opens his mouth, unsure of what to say, and closes it wordlessly. Soobin’s shoulders shake and the corners of his eyes are wet, but he swallows and holds the tears back.

“I looked enough like an elf in the beginning, but when I got older I couldn’t pass as a full one anymore, whether it was just a mutation or not. The elders- they weren’t happy that my Dad snuck me in. He’d broken the trust they’d extended when he came in after- ” Soobin almost chokes on the next words, unable to stem the flow of tears that starts breaking through. “After his community collapsed from the d-death of the local Dryad, who wasn’t able to protect them during an attack on the village.”

“H-He bargained that they let me live, but I’m not allowed to go back and I’m s-supposed to p-protect this forest until I-I can’t move anymore. The e-elf part of me makes m-me immortal when I t-turn twenty, so that m-means forever.”

The cracks in his composure turn the dam holding back his sobs to splinters, leaving Soobin’s body shivering and shaking with the force of them. Kai feels hot, pity-filled tears run down his cheeks as he stares in his inability to help. Yeonjun is sniffling, having sat up when Soobin had started speaking, and has been for some time.

Looking at Soobin, Kai remembers something that used to make him feel better when there was nothing he could do about a bad situation. He wiped his eyes down and reached into his pack, grabbing a bag of soft, delicious, bready treats.

Kai steps forward, quietly putting a hand on Soobin’s shoulder, before offering him the sweets in his hand. When Soobin looks up at him, lenses fogged and cheeks damp, he gives him a small hesitant smile and feels another bout of tears well up in his eyes.

“Thank you for telling us,” he says brokenly. Soobin nods, sobbing even harder and pulling him into a hug that, while tight, is warm and gentle. A few seconds pass before Soobin feels a hand pull on the side of his shirt, and he untucks his face from Kai’s shoulder to see Yeonjun standing there, eyes red and puffy, with a look of want and doubt on his face. Soobin doesn’t hesitate in pulling him into the hug, and they sit wrapped within each other.

It doesn’t take long for the fire to go out, with all of them distracted in this way. Soobin drifts off into a quiet sleep when the light fades out completely, and Kai chooses this time to step away and grab the blankets once more. When he turns around Yeonjun is lying atop Soobin, protectively strewn out across his chest as if he were shielding him from the world, almost as if he were claiming the elf as his own.

Kai smiles fondly and throws the blanket on top of them, cuddling himself into a ball at their feet by the now-cold ashes and falling asleep with a warm tightness in his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: I wonder what Yeonjun is? :3c you'll have to find out! 2/3rds of Hyung Line (I'm counting beommie there) are here! As always, see you saturday! Please comment, kudo and share uwu


	5. Thumbelina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hyung?” he asks. Yeonjun doesn’t pause, wet eyes staring straight ahead, unseeing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: Waaah~ It feels like everything is going so fast! Enjoy~
> 
> S: HI IM BACK I WENT ON A CRUISE AND YOU DONT HAVE SERVICE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN SO I MISSED THE LAST TWO CHAPTERS BUT IM BACK NOW HI-
> 
> Enjoy uwu

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_“'t is a beautiful flower,' said the woman, and she kissed the red and golden-colored leaves, and while she did so the flower opened, and she could see that it was a real tulip. Within the flower, upon the green velvet stamens, sat a very delicate and graceful little maiden. She was scarcely half as long as a thumb, and they gave her the name of “Thumbelina,” or Tiny, because she was so small.”_

-Hans Cristian Andersen, _Thumbelina_

* * *

Soobin wakes up as the sun rises, dawn just peeking over the horizon. He goes to sit up when he realizes there’s a Yeonjun sleeping soundly on his chest as it rises and falls. The elf sets his head back down on the ground and smiles fondly to himself, placing a light hand on Yeonjun’s back and closing his eyes.

A little while later Kai wakes up with a yawn, stretching in the warm sunlight and smacking his dry lips. His hair was full of sticks and his cheeks were smudged with dirt as he wiped the drool from them. He feels a resounding dryness in his throat, recalling Yeonjun drinking all the water in the flask he had brought, and resolves to get himself a drink. He walked over to tell Soobin he was going to go find water but stopped at the sight of Yeonjun asleep soundly on the giant elf’s chest.

“Cute!” He couldn’t help but squeal softly.

“I know right, isn’t he adorable? I woke up and he was right here!” Soobin beams and Kai screams at his sudden consciousness.

“Shhhhh!”

“I’m sorry! You scared the life outta me!” He whisper-yells as he rolls his eyes and places a sassy hand on his hip, “I’m gonna go find water, I’ll be back.”

“Take your sword!” Soobin calls quietly behind the boy and he watches as Kai picks it up and dramatically waves it in the air above his head as if to prove it’s really in his hands.

“Be careful!”

“I will!”

Kai grumbles a few things to himself as he drowsily stomps through the forest alone. Something in the back of his mind told him he shouldn’t be going alone, but another part of him says he doesn’t care. His mind tells him he doesn’t care about anything and would rather be in the comfort of his bed playing games, but that was before he heard quiet sobbing.

“Hello?” He calls into the trees, following the muffled crying as best he could. He kinda wished he had brought Soobin with him and not dismissed the elder so quickly. It continues as he trips over a tree root and down a hill, sword flying through the air and sticking itself in the ground, right by the edge of a river.

“At least I found water.” He grumbles to himself as he dusts the leaves from his clothes. But instead of hearing the sound of the sword hitting the ground he hears a pained cry.

“Hey! I’m sulking here!” The small voice yells in annoyance and Kai turns around to see a little fairy dressed in shades of yellow and orange, matching his blonde hair with soft waves at the tips. Beautiful golden wings sat a little askew on his back, delicate and so thin they were almost transparent in places, but shining gorgeously with accents and gradients and decorated with minuscule precious gemstones.

“Woah! Fairies are real?! I mean at this point I should expect it after seeing Soobin and Yeonjun-hyung… BUT WOW!”

“Of course I’m real! I’m lit rally sobbing right in front of you!”

“Huh?”

“I’m crying... on this rock… right in front of you?” The fairy repeats, standing and crossing his arms sassily.

“Oh, why didn’t you say that?”

“I- that’s besides the point, now could you leave so I can continue crying alone?”

“Why are you crying?” The prince asks warmly, kneeling down on a knee to get closer to his size and bowing his head, “I’m Prince Huening Kai, I’m sure I can help you.”

“I’m Prince Choi Beomgyu.” The fairy bows politely, as he was taught when he was dealing with a fellow royal, “ And unless you can fix fairy wings, you can’t.”

“How did you hurt your wings?” Kai asked, face twisting with concern as he noticed the glittering wings. Beomgyu looks up at him, amber eyes with golden flecks welling up with tears.

“I-I was flying with my family to the kingdom across the river when-Uhm, a gust of wind blew. I was distracted, y-you could say, so I couldn’t brace myself in time. S-So I fell into the river and sprained my wing.” The fairy sniffed as he pointed to the wing crookedly hanging on his back, it looked painful, “N-Now I’m lost and alone! I-I thought they would’ve noticed I was gone by now b-but apparently not.”

“Ah, I’ve been forgotten on plenty of family road trips.” Kai nods as he reaches his hand down for Beomgyu to climb into. The fairy looks at his soft hands, noticing how uncalloused they were. Maybe he really was a prince who could help him, he was always told never to trust humans, but this honestly couldn’t get any worse.

So he trusted him and climbed in, bracing himself as the clumsy boy who had just fallen down the hill lifted him from the ground.

Kai continues, “There’s always so much going on, it’s easy to forget a few things in the rush, especially something as important as a whole prince.”

Beomgyu nods, sniffing as he wipes his sleeve across his cheek, “I guess.”

“How long have you been out here?” The prince asks as he attempts to find a way up the bank.

“Um, all night…”

“Oh, you poor thing!”

“I know, right?”

Kai smiles, “I have a friend back at my camp I’m sure can fix you up! You can be healed and back with your family in no time!”

“Thank you, I was so mean and snappy to you when we first met and now you’re taking me to get healed…”

“It’s okay, I don’t mind.” The prince beams setting the fairy down on a log in the middle of a clearing.

“Okay, I’ll be right back, I’m definitely not lost and I definitely know where my friends are.” He calls behind himself, leaving the fairy to regret all the decisions he had made in the past few minutes.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───  
  


“Kai! Huening Kai!?” Soobin called into the woods, the prince had been gone too long for his comfort and now he was frantically looking for him. He left Yeonjun in the clearing, snoring softly by all of their stuff, he hoped the creature would wake up if anyone or anything tried to steal it.

The elf knew the forest like the back of his hand, but he was pretty sure Kai had never even been outside before.

“Kai! Please come out! This isn’t a funny joke! Kai ple-“

“Hyung?!” A distant voice called and Soobin immediately knew it was the little prince.

“Kai! Kai!?”

“Hyung! I’m right here, please stop pan- OOF!”

Kai ran into Soobin’s chest like he was a tree. The young Prince looked up at him through his eyelashes, joy and poorly hidden relief present in his features.

“Hyung, oh my god-“

“Kai?! Oh my goodness are you alright?! I thought you had died!”

“I’m not dead, I told you I could handle myself.”

Soobin pulled him into a giant, bone-crushing hug, “You did, I’m so happy you’re alive!”

“I won’t be for long if you crush my lungs!” The boy groans, gasping for air.

“Oh my goodness, I’m doing it again aren’t I?” Soobin blushes as he drops Kai to the ground.

“Yeah, kinda.” He mumbled before standing, “But come on, I got something, well someone to show you!”

“Um…” Soobin says reluctantly. Kai waves him off, emboldened by successfully finding his way.

“Don’t worry Hyung! I know my way now, and he’s really nice! You’ll love him!”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Yeonjun jumps up, stomach rumbling agonizingly, and looks around at the empty camp.

“D-Did they leave me?” He whimpers in a panic, “D-Did I do something wrong?!”

His eyes catch both of their bags sitting under a tree and he lets out a sigh of relief, they wouldn’t leave their belongings he assured himself.

At that moment he realizes he’s starving and he looks around ravenously, overlooking their bags as an obvious source of food, remembering that stealing is bad. As if on cue, his nose catches a whiff of a deliciously, cloyingly sweet scent coming from a distance and his mouth waters. He races towards it, silently moving through the forest and running more on instinct than anything else as he hunts for the source.

The trail eventually leads him to the edge of a clearing where the smell is the strongest, coating the air around him thickly and muffling any other scents he might find if had he been just a little bit less hungry. He immediately drops on his hands and knees, peeking into the clearing for the thing creating the tasty smell.

A small yellow thing lay atop a moss-covered log, twitching and occasionally calling out in a tiny voice that he feels he should be able to register what it’s saying, words maybe. He ignores that niggling urge, stomach growling, kicking his instincts into high gear. Telling him he needed to eat, no matter what. He shook his head, trying to escape the thoughts he hated so much. But instead, he braced himself to jump and finish the hunt.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“...he’s so tiny Hyung! It feels like I mentioned it a million times but he’s really small! I didn’t know anything could be that small-Well, except bunnies. And bugs. And hedgehogs...You know what, I just didn’t know anything HUMAN-LIKE could be that small! But anyway, he’s really tiny and pretty-Oh! We’re almost there-”

Kai is interrupted by a small but shrill screech, cutting itself off almost as soon as it began, coming from the clearing he’d left Beomgyu in. He and Soobin look at each other before running forward and bursting into the field. 

To their utter confusion there's nothing there except a standing Yeonjun, situated by the log, pounding his chest emphatically with one hand and resting the other on his stomach.

"Hyung?" Kai says, perplexed, "Where's Beomgyu-ssi?"

Yeonjun frowns, clearing his throat, "Who?"

"Beomgyu-ssi! Around this tall, golden wings, yellow clothes, kind of fancy and weird in a good way? I left him right here!"

"Oh! The little sweet thing?" Yeonjun smiles, patting his tummy, "He's in here! He smelled _really_ good and I was really hungry, so we ended up like this."

Soobin looks in horror at Yeonjun as Kai makes a strangled noise, "You ATE him!?"

"I was really _really_ hungry! Besides-"Yeonjun is interrupted by Soobin, who grabs a branch of wood and swings it horizontally into Yeonjun's stomach with an incoherent war cry. 

Yeonjun dry heaves a few times, bent over on his knees and face turning red, before he coughs explosively and something flies out of his mouth a few feet away.

“Oh my goodness, that’s never happened before.” Yeonjun chokes out, gasping as he falls onto his bottom and rubs his belly.

“You actually swallowed him?! I-I don’t understand!” Kai yells as he runs past Soobin, who’s on his knees in a daze.

“Why would you swallow him?! Does he look edible to you?!” Soobin scolds, waving the log around as Yeonjun shrinks back.

“I-I don’t know, h-he smelled good and tasted good.”

“You didn’t answer my question!” Soobin continues to press as Yeonjun scoots back in the dirt, he wanted to tell Soobin why, he really did.

But he couldn’t, he wasn’t ready yet.

Oh god, and now they hated him and he couldn’t explain himself.

Beomgyu emerges from the bushes in which he'd landed, dizzily moving towards Kai, who scoops him up using a handkerchief he'd pulled from his pocket. He takes a moment to get his bearings and then turns to Yeonjun.

He's absolutely _livid_.

"What the _f*ck_ is wrong with you!?" he screeches, "How do you just pick someone up and eat them!? Are you actually insane or just that stupid!? NEITHER MAKES IT OKAY! _PEOPLE AREN'T FOOD, YOU HUNGRY_ **_ANIMAL!_ ** _”_

He knew Beomgyu was smaller than him but the fairy made him feel minuscule. He wanted to cry so bad, he felt horrible, the constricting feeling in his chest was getting tighter. 

His throat clenched because Beomgyu was _right_.

“I-I’m sorry I-I don’t know what came over me, I usually have more control over-“ Yeonjun takes a deep shaky breath, finding himself struggling to continue as he hears his blood rushing around his ears, “I-I can control-I can control myself I swear-”

As his breathing gets faster, feeling as if there wasn’t enough air in his lungs, he draws into himself and bites at his fingers, tearing up the edges of his cuticles.

“You CLEARLY can’t!” Beomgyu snaps, indifferent of the panic overtaking him through his haze of anger, “They oughta put a muzzle on you, you-”

“That’s ENOUGH! This all was just one big misunderstanding.” Soobin says sharply through his teeth, taking charge of the air, pulling Beomgyu out of his spiteful spiral and drawing him back to reality. He kneels beside Yeonjun, who’s covered his ears and is muttering an unsteady stream of apologies to himself, stricken.

“Hyung?” he asks. Yeonjun doesn’t pause, wet eyes staring straight ahead, unseeing.

He speaks a little louder, but doesn’t change the gentle tone, “Yeonjun-hyung? Can you hear me?”

Yeonjun’s eyes twitch towards him, gluing themselves onto his face but unfocused, “I-I’m-I’m-”

“Breathe with me, okay Hyung?” Soobin says in a whisper, “C-Can I touch you?”

“Yes-No! I-I don’t know-” Yeonjun struggles to breathe, he just wanted this to end, “Please, help?!”

Soobin grabs Yeonjun’s sweaty, grubby, trembling hands and places them on his chest, taking deep, steady breaths.

“Follow my breathing, Yeonjun-Hyung. Count it like this: One in, in until you feel like you can’t breathe in any more air, then let it go. Then two, in until you’re full of air, and let it go. That’s good! You’re doing great, now in for number three...”

Kai and Beomgyu watch mutely how Yeonjun focuses, slowly getting better under Soobin’s tender encouragements and questions until his shoulders have relaxed for the most part and his eyes focus in on Soobin’s, holding his gaze.

The elf shifts into a sitting position and smiles warmly at Yeonjun once he feels his hands stop trembling, “Are you feeling better?”

Yeonjun nods weakly, he still felt horrible but at least he could breathe again. But as soon as his breath had returned it left as he heard his stomach growl. He whimpers as his eyes well up with tears again and Soobin cups his face in his large hand.

“Hungry?” He asks softly and Yeonjun nods again, Soobin smiles.

“Kai, can you and Beomgyu go get your sword? Yes, I know you lost it. Yeonjun and I are gonna go find him something to eat, meet us back at the camp.” Soobin commands, taking charge as their new apparent leader. Kai shrugs, keeping Beomgyu tied up in his handkerchief, stopping him from having at Yeonjun.

Kai leaves the clearing wordlessly, carrying Beomgyu, and heads in the direction he assumes the river was in. 

He walks for a while before Beomgyu speaks, voice muffled by the handkerchief, "I'm not forgiving him."

"I get why," Kai grimaces, "but I promise he's not a bad person. I don't know what all... _that_ was about but...you may have...been a bit TOO harsh on him?”

Beomgyu wiggles indignantly in his hand, “Are you kidding me!? I could’ve DIED!”

“Well…” Kai winces.

“What do you even know about that guy, anyway?” Beomgyu continues, “What is he? Where does he come from? You’re a prince, you should know to not trust people if you don’t know their intentions!”

“He’ll tell us things when he wants to! I believe he means well, and he hasn’t-”

“-shown the opposite? Are you really sure he’s a good person?”

“Yes,” Kai says firmly. He remembers Yeonjun’s reaction to Soobin’s story, and him agreeing to help him despite not knowing anything about him.

Yeonjun is a good person. That’s about the only thing he’s sure of with him, other than his like of mint chocolate.

Beomgyu shuffles in the little pouch made by the handkerchief, “I’m still not forgiving that glutton.”

“Don’t call him that! His name is Yeonjun!,” Kai says, exasperated, “The guy with the glasses was Soobin-hyung.”

“Soobin-ah and Yeonjun, huh?”

“Soobin-hyung’s probably older than you, and Yeonjun-hyung is technically older than him!”

“Technically older? Ah, whatever. You missed the turn to the river, by the way.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier!?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter Wednesday! Time flies, no?


	6. Interlude: The Snow Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How pathetic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: Interlude!

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“ _You’re a fine one for tramping around,” the bandit girl said to Kai. “I’d like to know – do you really deserve to have someone run to the end of the world just for your sake?_ ”

― Hans Christian Andersen, _The Snow Queen_

  
  


The King looked at the missive on his desk table with annoyance. The report of a thick cloud of smoke spotted on the far edge of the Mabeob forest, combined with the memory of the impudent little brat that snuck into his palace two nights ago, set him on an edge he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Worry, he thought, was not something he’d known since he’d sent the child away to rot with his insipid little books that so distracted him from his _real_ duty. Former duty soon enough, if the nurse’s tales of Sujin’s pregnancy advancement were of any indication.

He considered what he’d seen of the boy―for if he was anything but a boy he’d eat his own crown―who had so unkindly paid him a visit. He’d seen the need for recognition in his eyes, that thirst for something more, for an adventure to give meaning to his pitiful life.

The child wanted a purpose, and a heroic one at that. He could picture the boy’s fantasies of glory and grandeur, saving the prince and getting the warm welcome he felt he deserved.

How pathetic.

Still, he was an issue the King needed to deal with. He knew there was only one real option to deal with righteous rats like that, so he sent word with his assistant to notify the mercenary guild of their new task. The King put in a special request for their fastest, most efficient team.

Rats were slippery creatures, after all. If not taken care of quickly, they would breed and turn a simple pest into an unholy plague that destroyed everything in its path. 

The King was unwilling to risk losing the precious balance of his perfect kingdom to the hands of that impertinent, useless, _disgusting_ little thing that called itself his son. Whether the boy might succeed or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: Wait for it...


	7. The Little  Mermaid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Go ahead and explain , then,” Beomgyu says, dripping with bitterness, “Enlighten me why you’d go and EAT an innocent person , because right now to me you just seem like a greedy GLUTTON!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: Sorry For the delay!!!

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“ _Then your tail will divide and shrink until it becomes what the people on earth call a pair of shapely legs. But it will hurt; it will feel as if a sharp sword slashed through you. Everyone who sees you will say that you are the most graceful human being they have ever laid eyes on, for you will keep your gliding movement and no dancer will be able to tread as lightly as you. But every step you take will feel as if you were treading upon knife blades so sharp that blood must flow. I am willing to help you, but are you willing to suffer all this?"_

_"Yes," the little mermaid said in a trembling voice, as she thought of the Prince and of gaining a human soul._ ”

― Hans Christian Andersen, _The Little Mermaid_

* * *

Soobin seemed to have a natural talent for finding the biggest and juiciest berries and fruits in the forest. He made Yeonjun a fruit salad, which the creature had never had before.

“Who would ever think to put all the fruits together so you can eat them all at once?!” Yeonjun exclaimed as he ate from the basket Soobin had weaved, cheeks full of berries and lips stained pink from juice. Soobin giggled at Yeonjun’s wide eyes as he sat before the elder, legs crossed in front of him.

The fruit disappeared fast and soon Yeonjun was licking the remaining juice from his lips and fingers.

“This is the best fruit I’ve ever had.” Yeonjun beams and Soobin smiles at him warmly before slowly reaching his hand up and wiping a few seeds from the elder’s plump cheeks.

There faces a mere few inches apart and Yeonjun could see the flecks of amber in Soobin’s hazel-green eyes. They stared at each other for a few seconds, taking in the touch that they had both been deprived of for so long. Soobin smelled like, he smelled like-

“-HIC!-“ Yeonjun winced, wrapping his arms around his stomach as Soobin flinched and stumbled backwards into his bottom.

“W-Well um…” Soobin starts awkwardly as he frantically pushes up his glasses and Yeonjun can’t help but feel he did something wrong. 

He yawns unwillingly as his body tells him it’s time to conserve energy with a nap. His eyes flutter and he fights to keep them open, not wanting to lose sight of Soobin’s blushing cheeks.

“I’ll be here when you wake up, I promise.” Soobin whispers, almost as if he could read Yeonjun’s mind.

“You promise?” Yeonjun asks innocently as he climbs into Soobin’s lap and curls up.

_“We’ll meet you outside, we promise.”_

“I promise.” The elf repeats, petting Yeonjun’s blue hair as he closes his eyes.

_“Y-You promise?!”_

_“Yes baby, we promise, go on now.”_

Soobin pulls him in closer as he whimpers quietly, trembling slightly in the elf’s arms like a scared puppy.

“Shhh, it’s okay.” He coos softly as he continues rubbing the top of Yeonjun’s head, “I’m right here.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Soobin?! S-Soobin?!” Yeonjun screams as he looks around frantically. He had woken up and Soobin was gone, he was abandoned.

“You promised Soobin! Y-You promised!” The boy cried out as he began to panic, tears threatening his cheeks as he tried to take deep calming breaths.

He was alone, he was alone again, he had someone then he lost them.

He followed their rules, at least he thought he did. Did he mess up somehow?! He tried to think back to when he messed up but he couldn't think, mind clouded with panic as he searched frantically for Soobin.

He stood up and rested his head against a tree, he needed to calm down, but he didn’t know how without Soobin. Usually he just cried it out and let it pass but he had to find Soobin, he needed to fix what he messed up.

What had Soobin done earlier to help him calm down so fast? He closed his eyes for a second and gasped for air, he knew it was there, he just couldn’t get it in. He knew he needed to calm down, just a little bit, so he could think.

“One,” he remembers, taking a deep breath, filling his lungs as much as they could go before exhaling, “Two.”

He continues until he gets to ten, remembering how warm Soobin’s chest felt under his palms and the pounding of his heart. Soobin made him feel safe, for the first time in forever, Soobin was safe.

He looked up, hands still trembling a bit, but he was breathing again.

He tries to recall Soobin’s scent now that his head was clear, but before he could register it earlier he hiccuped.

Now how as he gonna find Soobin?

“I’m lost and alone, I can’t go back to being alone, I hate being alone.” Yeonjun sniffed as his eyes welled up with tears. But before he could let one escape his nose filled with a familiar scent.

“Beomgyu?” He questioned aloud before closing his eyes and letting his instinct guide the way.

He walks into a clearing similar to the one he had met the small fairy in earlier. Yeonjun spotted his small form on a rock in the distance.

“Beomgyu!” He called excitedly, almost like a little puppy. Yeah, he swallowed the little guy earlier but he never really got a chance to apologize.

“Beomgyu! It’s me Yeonjun!” He exclaimed as Beomgyu turned to face him, standing up, fists clenched at his sides.

“You…” The fairy snarls and Yeonjun’s eyebrows crinkle in confusion.

“Yeah! I’m so happy to see you! H-Have you seen Soobin by any-“

“Do you think I’m going to just FORGET what you tried to do!? It’s not that easy, _Yeonjun_.” 

Beomgyu seems to almost light up in newfound fury, saying his name like it’s poison on his lips. Yeonjun gulps, lips trembling.

“My wings are practically busted thanks to you,” he spits, “how am I supposed to get back to my family if they get even worse!?”

Yeonjun flinches, paling. “I-I’m sorry-I didn’t mean to hurt you-”

“ _Sorry_ doesn’t cut it, food-for-brains. If I can’t get better because you couldn’t CONTROL your stupid self then you better be ready to wish you were _dead_.”

“I can! I promise I can, if I could just explain-” he begs, kneeling down to match Beomgyu’s height on the stone.

"Go ahead and _explain_ , then,” Beomgyu says, dripping with bitterness, “Enlighten me why you’d go and EAT an _innocent person_ , because right now to me you just seem like a greedy GLUTTON!"

"I'm not! I just-"

"You just what!?"

"I'm- I don't-"

"What is it!? Wh-"

"I'M CURSED, OKAY!? IT'S A CURSE!" Yeonjun finally screams, chest tightening as he spills secrets and tears out.

“You’re cursed to eat me?!”

“WH- NO BEOMGYU I’M CURSED TO ALWAYS BE HUNGRY!” Yeonjun snapped, Beomgyu trembling before him as he feels the frustration and fear coming off of Yeonjun.

“W-When my parents were killed when I was six, I was the only one who survived, I climbed out of my window into a patch of Hungry Grass. N-Now I’m a bottomless pit.” The creature sniffed as wetness trailed down his plush cheeks, “I’m cursed because I basically just let my parents die, I didn’t do anything and saved myself and that’s why I’m like this!”

Beomgyu moves forward into a patch of grass as Yeonjun puts his hands to his face and tries to wipe his tears, body wracked with sobs.

“Whenever my stomach growls it’s a reminder of what I did, o-or what I didn’t do. I try to keep my stomach full because of that so I eat a lot, okay?”

“When I go to sleep hungry it just gives me the worst nightmares, I hate it.”

“It’s not your fault, okay? You were just a kid, it probably didn’t register with you that your parents were dead for a while. So you can...let it go,” Beomgyu tells him awkwardly, mood doing a total 180 now that Yeonjun had explained himself.

If only he had let him do so earlier.

Yeonjun really couldn’t help it, he was cursed. His parents died and he thinks it’s his fault, he’s traumatized. His parents died when he was just a toddler. He was all alone with nobody to rely on or even teach him things. He has the thought process of a six year old and six year olds don’t think, “Maybe I should check what I’m swallowing?” 

Beomgyu had just yelled at him and screamed at him, at a ‘six year old’. Yeah, he tried to eat him but it was truly an accident and he tried to apologize but he didn’t listen. He just bullied some random guy into sharing his traumatic past because he was angry...

“Y-Yeonjun-ssi, I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry for yelling at you and screaming at you and calling you those names. Th-That wasn’t very kind of me, I’m sure you’re an amazing person if I’d just give you a chance.”

Yeonjun lifts his head slowly from his hands, dull eyes looking straight ahead as his nose twitched, blank expression on his face.

“Y-Yeonjun-ssi?” Beomgyu calls as he looks behind him to see the setting sun, they had an hour maybe before it got too dark so the fairy wasn’t too worried.

He was really worried about Yeonjun though.

“Yeonju-“

“Shhh, something isn’t right…”

“Huh?!”

“I can feel it, we’re being watched… hunted.”

“Huh? Okay, I was actually starting to think you weren't insane, don’t make me take that back.”

“No! Seriously, we need to find the others, now-“

“What are you talking-“

“Can I pick you up?”

“Um.”

“I promise I won’t hurt you, you have to trust me. We’re in danger and I want to protect you okay?” Yeonjun says firmly and Beomgyu can see the genuineness in his eyes, he was practically begging the fairy.

Beomgyu nods affirmatively and climbs into Yeonjun’s calloused and dirty hands. Yeonjun carefully pulls the handkerchief the fairy had tied around his neck from him, standing up and putting it up to his face. He takes a few short sniffs, standing and running briskly into the woods.

Beomgyu hangs on for dear life as Yeonjun moves through the trees, pressing his face behind Yeonjun’s fingers to protect himself from the wind. It takes them a scant few minutes to reach the camp at the speed they’re going, bursting in and startling Kai and Soobin, who are standing in the middle of the clearing.

“Hyung? You-” Soobin says, baffled. 

“You found Beomgyu-ssi!” Kai cries, “I’m sorry I lost you-”

“There’s no time,” Yeonjun interrupts, sobering the air, “We need to go. We need to go _now.”_

“What? Why? Yeonjun-hyung, are you al-”

Yeonjun dives forward, putting one arm around Soobin’s neck and shoving Beomgyu safe against his midriff with the other, pulling Soobin to the ground as an arrow slices through the air where his head had been a second before.

“Was that an arrow?!” Kai screamed and Yeonjun leaped to cover his mouth.

“Shhh! Have you ever been under attack before?!”

“No?!” Kai exclaimes, voice muffled under Yeonjun’s hand, other one still full of Beomgyu. Yeonjun pulls him to the side, dodging another arrow that Kai sees cut a smidge of hair from the tips of his bangs.

“What do we do?” Soobin panics and Kai swears he sees the elf grow bigger.

An arrow flies wide off to Soobin’s left, bouncing off Taehyun’s sword leaning against a large stone, and landing next to his pack on the north edge of the camp. From the south, tall shadows close in on the edge of the clearing, wicked silver glints reflecting off the outline of the weapons in their hands.

Kai rips himself from Yeonjun’s hands and lunges for the sword, clumsily gripping it in his hands and frantically stumbling near Soobin, who was covering his head and looking around in fear. Black brambles start crawling over the edges of the camp, forming tangles at the bases of the trees.

The first of the shadows sets foot in the clearing as Kai, Soobin, and Yeonjun huddle to the northern side, Yeonjun cradling Beomgyu in one hand and Kai’s bag in the other. The man is broad and stout, dressed in dark shades and bearing two short blades in his hands and a mask over his face.

“Kai, take Beomgyu and stay behind me, we’ll meet you across the river okay?” Yeonjun commands through clenched teeth, hackles raised on the back of his neck as his eyes go from a cool sliver to a burning red. 

Beomgyu curls up in Kai’s hands, slightly freaked out by Yeonjun’s new appearance, right before the prince transfers him to Soobin’s.

“Hey! What the- wait a second, did you get bigger or did I get smaller?” Beomgyu asks the hyperventilating elf.

“I-I grow when I’m panicking.” Soobin admits in between breaths and Beomgyu’s eyes widen.

The young prince lets out a strangled war cry as he pulls the sword from its sheath and drops it before running at the man and swinging.

The man lifts his swords at Kai, much to their terror and a root shoots up from the ground, wedging the metal blade deeply in its wood. Considering how deep it was, the man was planning on killing Kai in one swing.

Kai turns around to see Soobin holding a fist in the air, a look of relief on his face as if he had pulled the root up himself, which he did.

“Kai! I told you to stay behind me!” Yeonjun growls as he lifts a boulder and spins before throwing it at the guy coming for Kai now that he was completely turned around. Kai ducks reflexively, thinking Yeonjun was throwing the boulder at him.

Their jaws all drop as the large stone drops on the man’s chest and Yeonjun rolls his glowing red eyes at their dumbfoundedness, “I get it, nobody thinks the chubby kid has super strength.”

“No, I-I um, we just-“ Kai starts as Yeonjun begins running at full speed towards him, causing the boy to crouch down in a ball.

Yeonjun swung his leg over Kai’s head, swiftly kicking the miniature sword the Soldier had gotten free out of his hand and into a bush somewhere.

Kai looks up in awe as he watches Yeonjun fight the man hand to hand, “Go get Beomgyu and leave!” he growls and Kai nods before stumbling towards Soobin and the small fairy.

Much to Kai’s surprise, Soobin was now taller than the trees. He looms above the clearing now, balancing himself on one leg so as to not harm anyone, but loses his balance and kicks his leg into the trees, sending two men with bows flying into the tops of the forest. 

Soobin squeaks, the sound ringing out through the forest from his now-larger vocal chords, “Oh God! I’m sorry-you shot at us, right?-But I’m so sorry!”

Kai covers his head from the rain of splinters from Soobin’s legs as he runs around the fumbling giant, clutching the sword he’d sheathed on the way there close to his chest. Overhead, Beomgyu yells incoherently, sliding down Soobin’s shoulders until he hangs off the edge of his sleeve.

“KAI!” he screams, “KAI! CATCH ME, PLEASE!”

A leaning jolt from Soobin wrestling with the bows he’s attempting to shove into the hands of the insensate mercenaries sends the fairy falling, and Kai sprints into position and snatches him out of the air. 

Beomgyu takes the moment of safety as Kai runs for cover to press his hands together, producing an intense light that pulses around his hands. He sticks them out over the side of Kai’s body and aims them at a mercenary attempting to stab Yeonjun from behind, sending a thick beam of light at him that not only pushes him to the ground but burns through his clothes, incapacitating him with the pain. 

“WASTED!” Beomgyu cheers. Kai runs deep into the forest until he can no longer hear the sounds from the fight as loud as before, only if he strains his ears. He sits at the bottom of a tree with Taehyun’s sword in his lap and Beomgyu in his hands, who’s vibrating with excitement and a little bit of shock.

“Did you see that?” Beomgyu says, “I helped Yeonjun-ssi! Sihyuk-nim said the blasts wouldn’t hurt a fly but I knew he was wrong! How-”

Kai shivers, pulling his knees closer to his chest, “That was _dangerous_ , Beomgyu-ssi. You could’ve killed someone!”

Beomgyu frowns, “They were going to kill us! They almost DID!”

“No, I mean-What if you’d hit the Hyungs? What if you hadn’t put your hand out far enough? That’s not the kind of thing you field-test while running away!”

Beomgyu goes quiet, looking at his hands as if seeing them for the first time.

“I...could’ve hurt someone...I yelled at Yeonjun-ssi for hurting me when he didn’t mean to, and I would have done the _same thing_ , only _worse_!” Beomgyu whispers angrily, frustrated and ashamed.

Kai is about to respond when he realizes the forest is very silent. Too silent.

He can’t hear the fight happening anymore. All he can hear is leaves...crunching closer and closer.

He looks at Beomgyu, who’s similarly wide-eyed in fear, and puts him even closer. The crunching turns into footsteps, and he screws his eyes shut, fearing the worst.

Soobin’s familiar voice rings out through the woods, “Kai-yah? Beomgyu-ssi? Are you here?”

They let go of the breaths they’d been holding, and Kai stands up.

“We’re over here, Hyung!”

Kai steps out from behind the tree to see a regular―regular for him, at least―sized Soobin with Yeonjun’s arm over his shoulders, helping the creature walk forward towards them. They’re covered with scrapes, and Yeonjun has a particularly nasty gash on his arm that’s crusted with blood and grime.

“Yeonjun-ssi! Are you alright!?” Beomgyu is the first to speak, surprisingly. He lets himself fall to the ground and runs to the duo as fast as he can. Yeonjun smiles at him brightly, belying his physical state.

“I’m fine! Soobinie insisted on helping me here, it’s not as bad as it looks!”

The elf helps Yeonjun sit down as the fairy frets and Kai walks up to them, leaning him against a tree. Soobin sets Kai’s bag down beside them, extricating a bandage from the inside as he moves towards Yeonjun’s injured arm, before realizing Yeonjun has a tight grip on the sleeve of his shirt. 

He sends the sheepish creature an apologetic look, “I’m just gonna help your arm. I’m not going anywhere, Hyung.”

Yeonjun eyes him critically before letting go, allowing Soobin to settle on his opposite side and scoot closer to him. Beomgyu crawls over onto Soobin’s shoulders, peeking as he wipes it down after wetting a cloth with the flask Kai had filled. Yeonjun sits still for the most part, fidgeting occasionally, until Soobin’s hands start glowing softly with jingling bells in the background. Then, Yeonjun flinches violently, pulling his arm up to himself protectively and holding it with his other hand. 

Soobin frowns.

“It’s just a bit of healing magic, Hyung,” he explains, “It’s not enough to heal you all the way but it’s enough to close the cut so I can let it finish healing with a bandage. None of it is going to hurt, okay?”

Yeonjun still looks anxious, but he lets Soobin have his arm. The elf runs his hand delicately over the wound, practically caressing it as the glow brings warmth pooling into his skin. Yeonjun watches, mesmerized by the shifting colours enough that he’s relaxed when the bells ring again, taking with them the warmth of the light. Soobin wraps the bandage around his arm, fingers lingering for a couple seconds once he’s done.

Yeonjun stands by himself, and glances at the sky, “It’s dark now.”

“I-I guess it is?” Kai says, “Is there something wrong, Yeonjun-hyung?”

“If It’s dark,” Yeonjun says slowly, “Why is Soobinie still awake?”

Kai and Soobin himself look at him in surprise. Beomgyu also looks, with a fair share of confusion in his eyes.

“Is he not supposed to be?” he asks. Kai shakes his head as Soobin pats himself down as if checking for abnormalities, before his head snaps up in realization.

“Beomgyu-ssi,” he says, “What kind of fairy _are_ you, exactly?”

“I'm the Prince of the Light Fairies!” Beomgyu almost―no, he _actually_ glows with pride, emitting a brightness akin to a freshly lit candle. Yeonjun explodes into giggles, clutching his marshmallow tummy as Kai covers his own smiling mouth.

“Soobin-hyung falls asleep when there’s no light, Beomgyu-ssi,” Kai says, gesturing to the elf. Beomgyu’s head snaps to look at him incredulously, before he smiles mischievously.

“I guess I’m the light of his life now, huh? His LOML, if you will.”

Yeonjun only seems to laugh harder at this, while Soobin flushes to the roots of his hair. Kai lets out chuckles of his own, and picks up his pack, slinging it and the sword over his shoulder.

Soobin hisses, embarrassed. He stands, brushing dirt off his knees and almost careening Beomgyu off his shoulder. While he apologizes Yeonjun sobers up, walking to stand next to Kai. Soobin stalks over to them, still bickering with Beomgyu as they start walking.

“-Be more careful―Hey, where are we going?” Beomgyu blinks.

Kai smiles nervously at him, “I wasn’t really in this forest just for fun, you know. I’ve got a bit of a quest to do.”

“Quest?” he scrunches his nose, “What kind of quest?”

“We’re saving his important prince~,” sings Yeonjun. Kai feels his cheeks warm as Beomgyu laughs.

“ _HIS_ important prince, you say? That’s cute.”

“Soobin-hyung, put him down. It’s okay if we take longer, just make him walk closer to you.”

“HAVE YOU SEEN HIS LEGS!? THEY’RE WAY TOO LONG, HE WALKS FAST! I’LL _DIE_! I’M TOO PRETTY TO DIE!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: See you Wednesday hAhAHHA-


	8. Rapunzel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simply and objectively speaking, Kang Taehyun was the single most beautiful person he’d ever seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: OwO!!! Enjoy~

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“ _ When the woman gave birth, the sorceress appeared, named the little girl Rapunzel, and took her away. Rapunzel became the most beautiful child under the sun. When she was twelve years old, the sorceress locked her in a tower that stood in a forest and that had neither a door nor a stairway, but only a tiny little window at the very top _ .”

-Rapunzel,  _ Grimm’s Fairy Tales _

* * *

They keep walking through the night, resting in short intervals occasionally when any of them gets tired, or when Yeonjun decides he needs to get some food into himself. It takes thirty minutes of arguing to manage to get Beomgyu to call Soobin anything other than ‘Soobin-ah’, as the fairy refuses to budge and no one tries to tell him to call Yeonjun 'Hyung', fearing a relapse from the seeming peace between them that Kai and Soobin can see. Mid-way through the trip Kai starts calling him 'Beomgyu-hyung', and none of them can tell whether he’s noticed or not.

Dawn comes and goes, allowing Beomgyu to move to Kai’s shoulders rather than hang on to Soobin’s. The fairy heavily expresses his gratitude for this, having fallen from the elf’s shoulder more times than he can count. 

Once the sun comes up Kai takes to looking through the horizon, scanning it for the shape of Taehyun’s tower as often as he can. The sun isn’t all the way up in its arc across the sky when he finally sees it, long and pale against the vast greenery of the forest. Without a word he sprints towards it, only pointing when Soobin yells the question at him.

He almost can’t believe it when they finally stand at the edge of the tower’s clearing, the dull grey stone more imposing than ever as it hangs, ominous and unreal, before their eyes.

The tower doesn’t look anything like the handsome spires of the King’s palace. It’s drab and colourless, the bricks uneven but with a single texture that gives it the appearance of a mineral unison. On the front side sits a large metallic door, with a vault-like lock on the outside, practically an eyesore against the quasi-uniform surface of the tower.

“I-Is that it?!” Yeonjun questions, trying to hide the extreme excitement in his voice. If it wasn’t he didn’t want to rile up Kai too much.

The small prince is already booking it to the tower, not wasting a second. He trips and falls a few times on the long run to the structure. But ultimately he makes it and the others aren’t that far behind considering how often Kai had fallen. Yeonjun picked Beomgyu up after the first time he fell. 

Kai grabs the door handle and pulled with all his strength, grunting with the effort, “It won’t open!”

“I-I think it’s locked.” Soobin notes, walking up slowly to the door. He faces his open palms towards the ground and closes his eyes before clenching his hands into fists and lifting them slowly with a look of strain etched into his dumpling-like face. He cries out as roots break the surface, eyes open now and focused sharply on the task at hand. The metal door is wrapped in thick roots and they can see them breaking through the foundation, causing it to crack and crumble.

“Oh god he’s gonna rip the door out-“ Kai gasps as they all back up. The roots have completely covered the door now and they can see Soobin’s shoulders rising and falling dramatically as he tries to catch his breath.

“Please don’t overwork yourself Soobin-hyung!” Beomgyu calls but Soobin doesn’t answer. 

The metal door creaks and bends as it gets crushed under Soobin’s strength.

Yeonjun has no idea why his heart is racing but it is, he can’t help but bite his lip as a smile fights its way into his face.

With one last grunt Soobin pulls the door down, fists landing firmly at his sides as he lets out a breath of relief.

“S-Sorry, thats took so long,” Soobin awkwardly chuckles, hand gripping his elbow as he turns to face them, “I’ve never stayed up an entire night before and I’m a little weak.”

“Th-That wasn’t your full strength?!” Yeonjun gapes and Soobin shakes his head.

“Not even close.”

“N-Not even close?!” Yeonjun gulps and Soobin shakes his head.

“We get it, he’s strong. The door is open and the prince is literally up these stairs, let’s go get ‘em!” Kai yells out as he pushes past Soobin and up the stairs.

There's a single yellow door with a flowered plant beside it, and a cute little cat mat that said 'Please Knock'.

“Sh-Should we knock?” Beomgyu asks unsurely as he looks to the prince.

“I-I don’t know, I’ve never saved a prince before!"

“The mat says knock, I feel like it would be courteous to knock.” Soobin shrugs as he pushes up his glasses.

So, Kai knocks, to which he gets no answer.

“Do you think he’s dead?” Yeonjun nervously asks, still holding Beomgyu in his hands. That comment immediately puts Kai on edge.

“Yeonjun-hyung, don’t say stuff like that!” Soobin scolds and the creature winced.

“Maybe we should break the door down, just incase.” Kai gulps as he backs up and lets someone stronger take over.

“I broke the first door down, you can do this one.” Soobin surrenders, backing up with Kai and taking Beomgyu into his hands.

Yeonjun gives him a lopsided smile and braces his arms up, before kicking his back leg upwards and sending it spinning into the door, knocking it off its hinges as if he were doing a lethal pirouette. He brings it back down into what Kai distantly recognizes from his sisters’ ballet lessons as fourth position, completely unbothered by the thunderous noise the door makes when it falls.

Directly across from the opening sits a small two person table, with a thin cotton tablecloth and two placemats. On the placemats there’s a pair of plates, set neatly and filled with two thick slices of french toast each, drenched in syrup and powdered sugar. A glass full of water is on the left side of the table, with a few ice cubes floating inside. Between the two plates there’s a butter dish with a single stick of butter on it, with a small crevice signalling the former presence of a butter knife buried in it.

They step inside, carefully moving on top of the fallen door. Kai gasps.

The whole room is colored with cool greys, whites, and blacks. If it’s not suede it’s fluffy and if it’s not marble it’s granite. The floor is laid with dark oak to match the shelves covering the walls, which are lined with hundreds of books and Kai hears Soobin let out a small squeal of excitement. There seems to be an enchantment table of some sort between the shelves and the young prince remembers Sujin said he wanted to be a wizard. There’s a small kitchenette in the back right corner next to the small spiral staircase that leads up to the loft. In the left corner there’s a single bay window overlooking the forest.

Yeonjun steps forward to inspect the table with the food, using two fingers to lift a piece of french toast to his nose and sniffing it lightly before messily dropping it in his mouth.

“Hyung! You can’t just eat other peoples food!” Kai whisper-yells as Yeonjun finishes off the portions, licking the syrup and powdered sugar from his plush pink lips. His silver eyes are wide and sparkling when he looks up.

“I’ve never had this before but it tastes amazing and I don’t think I’ll eat anything else for the rest of my life, I want more- no, I NEED more.”

The creature sniffs at the air, turning to the back corner and walking towards the staircase, passing Soobin and Beomgyu who are inspecting the books on the shelves with child-like abandon. Kai follows him anxiously, watching to make sure he doesn’t do anything unwarranted, but also intrigued as to what he’s searching for. Yeonjun goes up the stairs hastily, reaching the top with the prince hot on his heels and stepping into the loft.

There was a small black bed draped in grey satin sheets on the back wall. More shelves full of books lined them and Kai was starting to think the count was going up into the thousands. He walked past a cracked door to see what looked like a sink so he assumed it was a bathroom. There was a dark oak wardrobe in the back left corner and that seemed to be it, it was a simple yet functional living space.

Kai fears they’ve come too late when he sees no one in the loft nor the bottom floor. These fears are assuaged when he looks closer at the bed and sees the edge of a shoed foot poke out from below it, just barely uncovered by the duvet. He would’ve thought it was just an abandoned shoe if it hadn’t moved, hiding under the bed.

Kai grins, “Taehyun-ssi? You don’t have to hide from us. We’re not here to hurt you.”

Cover blown, the boy under the bed slides out and comes to his feet in two fluid movements. Kai would’ve wondered if they’d been practiced if he wasn’t distracted by the Prince’s appearance.

Simply and objectively speaking, Kang Taehyun was the single most beautiful person he’d ever seen.

The prince has fluffy brown hair that’s longer in the back and falls to cover his forehead in semi-neat bangs that have been ruffled by his climb from under the bed. His large, sparkling, chocolate brown eyes have a curiously intelligent shine to them. His lips are full and heavily pigmented, rosy like his cheeks and slightly open with the shock of four strangers breaking into his tower on a random Saturday morning.

He's clad in thick silken grey pajamas, hanging loosely off his body, and a large black apron with looping script that says 'Kiss The Wizard' across the front. In his hands he holds a small butter knife, levelled in their direction with the tip shaking slightly. It still has a chunk of butter stuck to it, smeared on the side.

Kai gulps, cheeks flushing slightly, and prepares to speak when Yeonjun moves forward and quick as a fox takes the knife from Taehyun, sticking the side against his lips with one hand and holding Taehyun's wrist with the other. Taehyun jumps in astonishment, halfheartedly attempting to pull his arm away as he squints at the top of Yeonjun's head, struggling to recall something before his eyes light up in recognition.

"Your horns!" he exclaims. Yeonjun looks at him questioningly, "You have Changeling horns, you-"

Taehyun huffs in frustration before reaching his free hand up and behind Yeonjun's horns, scratching lightly at the base. Yeonjun melts instantly, letting go of the knife and standing there as Soobin comes up the stairs, Beomgyu curled up in his palm.

"The book was right!" Taehyun murmurs under his breath.

The trio of an elf, a prince, and a fairy stares gobsmacked at the practically  _ purring  _ Yeonjun and lightly smiling Taehyun, Soobin walking up beside Kai and pointing incredulously.

"Is that-" Soobin begins to say, causing Taehyun's head to snap towards him. He lets his hand drop from Yeonjun's hair, who whines and pouts his lips, and walks over to the elf.

The boy leans close to Soobin and studies him carefully, "I've seen Changelings in textbooks, but I don't think I've seen anything like  _ you _ in them. What are you? Your ears tell me elf, but you're much too tall and you have all this greenery on you...Are you some sort of cross-species? Maybe an Ent father?"

Soobin opens and closes his mouth like a fish out of water, squeaking lightly and reddening when Taehyun reaches to touch his ears.

"OKAY THEN!" Beomgyu exclaims, jumping and wrapping his arms around Taehyun's wrist before his fingers touch Soobin's ears. "That's enough of that! Are you the prince Kai-yah was talking about?"

“Oh my goodness you’re a fairy, look at those wings,” Taehyun gapes as he scoops the fairy up and holds him close to his face, “They’re magnificent, they seem to be of royal lineage and- broken.”

Beomgyu makes himself small in Taehyun’s hands, eyes welled with tears, “I-I sprained one a-and the other one was ripped when that- that  _ beast _ forced me down his throat!”

Taehyun looks at Yeonjun with a tilted head, curiosity etched into his features and Yeonjun shrinks, “Interesting, changelings don’t usually eat fairies considering they’re a type of fairy, but I presume it could be a sort of a big fish eat little fish sort of thing. But I can definitely help you.”

“Really?!” Beomgyu exclaimed excitedly, standing in Taehyun’s hands, “I-I’ve never gone this long without flying before and it’s awful!”

“You’re not supposed to, so I understand why.” Taehyun shrugs as he makes his way down the spiral stairs with the others close behind, and oddly, Yeonjun was the closest. Kai huffed, he was trying to get the elder prince’s attention but he was so distracted by his entourage that he wasn’t focused on the main reason Kai had come.

Taehyun delicately placed Beomgyu on his enchanting table, “I can fix them both but it’s gonna take a bit for you to build the strength in your wings back up since you haven’t used them for a while.”

Beomgyu nods excitedly and Taehyun smiles before getting to work. His hands working slowly and delicately on Beomgyu’s wings. The prince’s hands glittered and sparkled with different colors as he healed and mended the fairy.

Kai was in awe, they all were, but Kai especially. The way he bit his lip and closed one eye as he focused, how his full lips folded in with determination. How swiftly his hands made work of Beomgyu’s delicate wings. How he softly sung as he worked, his voice warm and soulful when reciting the arcane tongue.

When he finished Beomgyu stood from his crouched position, wings now sparkling brightly as glitter trailed behind them with each delicate flutter. He twirled and they all smiled at the new look of exhilaration on the fairy’s face.

“M-My wings are fixed.” He sniffed, tears of joy rolling down his glowing cheeks as he took off into the air gracefully and landed lightly on Taehyun’s shoulder. Finishing with the fairy seems to snap Taehyun out of whatever was going on in his head. He looks around at the people gathered in the room and steps back.

“Wait, who are you?” he demands, pointing at Kai who seemed to be the only human, “What are you doing here?”

Kai, sensing his moment had come, comes forward, “I’m Prince Huening Kai, and I’m here to get you out of this tower.”

“Get...me out? My  _ parents _ sent you?” Taehyun studies Kai dubiously, eyeing his muddied pants and torn shirt. Kai covers a hole in the side of his sleeve self consciously. Beomgyu flutters up, landing on Yeonjun’s head and fiddling with his hair, wiping his eyes with the heels of his hands.

“No, I-We...” Kai flounders, not expecting Taehyun’s skepticism, “Your sister-”

Taehyun moves, grabbing Kai’s lapels and pulling him up to his face. Kai notes idly their height difference as Taehyun speaks slowly, “My sister convinced them? She got them to let you come here?”

Kai gulps, seeing the bridled hope and desperation take over Taehyun’s intense stare, and nods weakly.

Taehyun lets go of the tight grip he had on his front and smooths a hand over Kai’s coat, biting back tears and a smile. He turns over and walks to the kitchenette, grabbing a glass from the pantry and filling it with water before swallowing it down and sighing.

“They didn’t forget,” Taehyun just barely whispers, only audible because of the pregnant silence permeating the room.

Kai feels a dreadful,  _ guilty _ knot lodge itself in his gut.

Taehyun faces them again with a passive smile on his face, eyes slightly tinged with pink, “You surprised me! I heard crumbling from the bottom of the tower as I was about to eat breakfast, so I went to hide. Can I get you anything? Are you hungry?”

“ _ Very _ .” Yeonjun bounds forward, grinning, “Can you make more of that sweet thing you had on the table?” 

“Ye-Wait, you ate my french toast?”

“We haven’t eaten in a while,” Soobin explains, putting a hand on Yeonjun’s shoulder, “We walked all night to make it here. I’m Soobin, and this is Yeonjun.”

“And I’m Choi Beomgyu, Prince of the Light Fairies,” Beomgyu pipes up, leaning on Yeonjun’s shorter horn with poised coolness.

“Well, pleasant to meet you all, I’m sure you’re all starving and the least I can do for the people who came to rescue me is feed them, right?” Taehyun beams as he turns to the cabinets and pulls out an entire loaf of bread, “I just got a new shipment yesterday so I have plenty of food. Can I get you something to drink?”

Yeonjun nods and Taehyun giggles at his eagerness, “I’ll make you a smoothie then. Please feel free to explore, maybe take a seat? I have a restroom upstairs if you want to clean up as well, you can wash your clothes too, I have extras!”

Soobin smiles and bows gratefully at the kind prince before going to explore the seemingly endless selection of books.

“Beomgyu-yah! Come help me find something interesting to read!” Soobin calls excitedly and Beomgyu nods before flitting over to Soobin’s shoulder.

Kai giggles as he watches Yeonjun stare at the blender Taehyun is using as if he had never seen one before, to which Kai suddenly realizes that he probably hasn’t. The prince hands Yeonjun the pitcher and a glass, Yeonjun passes the glass to Kai and quickly guzzles down the entire pitcher, much to Taehyun’s surprise.

Yeonjun burps, tilting his head to the side in question, “When's the finch toast gonna be ready?”

“Um, wow, okay.” Taehyun starts, getting over the shock of what just happened, “You’re still hungry?!”

“He’s sort of a bottomless pit.” Kai shrugs as he places the glass on the countertop, “And it’s French Toast Hyung, not finch toast.”

“Oh, finches are yummy too.”

“What?!”

“Fascinating!” Taehyun gasps as he pokes Yeonjun’s stomach, causing the changeling to giggle and hiccup. With that information Taehyun eagerly gets to work on breakfast.

Yeonjun innocently wanders off to go bother Soobin and Beomgyu while Kai stays behind with Taehyun, who he is  _ definitely _ fascinated by.

He’s cute and smart and Kai wants to know everything about him.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Kai shyly asks, taking a step closer to Taehyun as he carries cartons of eggs and pounds of bacon wrapped in paper.

“Um, yeah!” Taehyun grunts, placing the items on the counter, “Can you grab the matches from on top of the refrigerator?”

Kai nods, his tall lanky form finally becoming useful. He passes them to the elder prince and looks on in confusion as Taehyun sets the matches on the counter and snaps his fingers to light the fire. Taehyun smirks as Kai’s jaw drops.

“Would you be a dear and put them back?” Taehyun blinks innocently and Kai nods mindlessly, biting his lip as he picks up the matches and walks them over to the refrigerator. He goes to the sink as Taehyun puts a large pan on the flame, pouring a dash of oil into it. 

Kai washes his hands with a small canister of hand soap beside the dish soap on the counter, feeling the water and foam sting at newly formed blisters and the hardening bases of his fingers. He looks at Taehyun, who’s humming a sweet tune, as he dries them with a paper towel.

This might be the hardest part of the journey.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Beomgyu checks the highest shelves, flying up and reading the titles out to Soobin, who tells him which books to push down while standing at the bottom and doing his own scan of the lower shelves.

“-And why would I want to read about the  _ snot types _ of  _ trolls _ , Beomgyu-yah?” Soobin complains as Yeonjun walks closer to him from behind. Beomgyu shrugs, pushing the little pamphlet back between two books and moving on in search of something more interesting. 

Yeonjun pokes Soobin’s back silently. The elf jumps, almost dropping the veritable pile of books he has in arms as he turns around, “Yeonjun-hyung? Don’t scare me like that! Are you here to help?”

“Can I?” Yeonjun smiles, scratching his cheek lightly, “What do you need?”

“I’m looking for books that’d be interesting to read! Taehyun-ssi has a collection wider than any I’ve ever seen! You can help me by going to another shelf and bringing books that might be good.”

Yeonjun falters before Soobin, the elf’s eyes sparkling with excitement under his lenses, but smiles shakily and nods. He walks to the other end of the room, leaving behind Soobin who turns to yell at Beomgyu after a book lands on his head, and roots through the shelves there.

He comes back a few minutes later with four books, stacked carefully in his hand. By then Soobin has set his pile on the floor, sorting the books by genre as he sits by them with his legs crossed and Beomgyu on one knee.

"Oo, what'd you bring?" Soobin makes grabby hands at the books in Yeonjun's hold. The changeling hands them over, cheeks flushing.

"Let's see ...Encyclopaedia of Arcane Forest Creatures? That's...cool! I know all of them, but....Ye list edible woods? Yeonjun-hyung, you don't need to eat wood, we have  _ food _ …A Novella of the Naiad!? That's a romance novel! Wh-Hyung! This last book is on the propagation of goblins! Did you even read the titles!?" Soobin closes the last book as fast as possible, ears red, and waves the four around. The more Soobin spoke the redder Yeonjun became, until by the end he’s standing with his head bowed and his face in his hands.

Beomgyu looks at all the books, “Why do they all have trees on the covers? Was that your only criteria?”

Soobin looks at them in surprise, noticing the detail for the first time. The books are all prettily styled, with fancy fonts and thick woods and critters on the covers and spines.

“Hyung,” Soobin says, “Did you really only get me books with pretty covers?”

Yeonjun looks at him from between his fingers, nodding once.

“ _ Why _ ?” says Soobin, “Did you not feel like reading summaries? The titles are big enough to understand unless you...can't...”

“-Read,” Beomgyu finishes, twisting his mouth and brushing his hand over Soobin’s knee. Yeonjun bites his nails, walking back into a shelf and leaning against it.

“I tried,” he whispers, “I wanted to get some that made you happy, but I didn’t know what they said and it’s―embarrassing.”

He whines and throws an arm over his face.

Soobin purses his lips and pats the floor in front of him, “Come here.”

Yeonjun looks at him from under his arm, “What?”

“Come here for a second, Hyung. I’m not mad, just come here.”

Beomgyu motions ‘come hither’ encouragingly. Yeonjun scoots towards them and sits hesitantly in the spot indicated, lightly tilting his head. Soobin inches himself forward until their knees touch, and reaches one hand to land softly on Yeonjun’s head.

“It’s okay,” Soobin whispers, smiling gently “If you want to learn, we can teach you. I’ll even throw in a bit of Elvish if you’d like.  _ Ni mére- ana care an tye _ .”

“Oh! I can do Fairy!  _ Tsawke rey tì'i'avay krrä hu oe _ !” Beomgyu says, lilting language dripping from his tongue.

Yeonjun looks at the two of them with their bright smiles and returns them with his own watery one, “Thank you. You’re-Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Yeonjun laughs unbidden, cheeks rounding out and glowing with the slowly fading pink tinge they held. Soobin and Beomgyu watch with near-reverential awe, letting lose a few laughs of their own.

They taper off comfortably, and Soobin moves Beomgyu to Yeonjun's lap, grabbing one of the books in his pile and sitting beside Yeonjun.

He puts the book between them, pointing at the first letter in the title, "This one is the letter F…trace it with your fingers! F, the next one is A..."

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Breakfast? Lunch? Brunch? Was done at this point and much to their relief. Yeonjun couldn’t focus on his reading lessons because his stomach kept growling and was distracted by the scents coming from the kitchen.

“Sorry!” He apologized over and over again and Soobin assured him it was alright, but as soon as his stomach stopped growling he was distracted by the smell of bacon.

So they were more than relieved when Taehyun and Kai called them over to the table.

“That’s a lot of food.” Soobin notes, pointing at the large spread of food as Beomgyu lands on his shoulder. Bacon, eggs, of course french toast, pancakes, potatoes, fruits of all types, and more. The elf looked over at Yeonjun who was practically vibrating with excitement.

“Um, I had to satisfy a large range of species so I wasn’t quite sure what to make.” Taehyun awkwardly laughs as Yeonjun starts to whimper. The rule of ‘You can’t just eat other people’s food’ was running through his head in loops as he tried to resist the colorful variety of treats before him.

“Are you okay?” Soobin asks in a whisper, looking down at Yeonjun who seemed to be biting his lip so hard his fangs were starting to break skin. 

Soobin gasps before scolding Yeonjun, “Don’t do that you’re bleeding!”

“I-I’m sorry, I-I’m just really trying not to eat without permission. I already did it once today,” Yeonjun whines, bouncing on his toes like an impatient toddler.

“Oh! Help yourself please! Eat as much as you’d like!” Taehyun beams before looking at Kai, “We didn’t work so hard for it to just sit there and look pretty.”

That’s the only okay Yeonjun needs before he reaches his grubby hands towards the bacon.

“Hyung wait!” Soobin yells as he grabs Yeonjun’s wrist, causing the changeling to growl and snap at him, “ I’m sorry but there are rules okay? This isn’t the forest. Before you eat you’re supposed to wash your hands and use a plate, okay?”

Yeonjun slowly nods, taking a deep breath and calming down at the sound of Soobin’s warm voice, “I’m sorry I growled at you.”

“It’s okay, just go wash your hands upstairs. D-Do you know how to do that?”

Yeonjun nods again, it’s one of the only things he remembers from his childhood. He used to do it all the time but kind of stopped because he found it inconvenient. Soobin smiles as he lets Yeonjun go and watches as he takes off up the stairs, probably trying to get back to the food as soon as possible.

“You guys did an amazing job, it smells delicious.” Soobin compliments, “I didn’t know you had that kind of talent Kai-yah.”

Kai pouts as he fills his plate, “I have lots of talents actually, you just haven’t seen them yet.”

Soobin giggles behind his hand before going to help Beomgyu wash his hands in the kitchen sink. He was so small and Soobin didn’t want him to blast himself with water pressure or even worse, fall down the drain. The fairy kept trying to convince Soobin that he was too big to fall down the drain but the elf’s paranoia was stronger than any point Beomgyu made.

The door of the bathroom is ajar when Yeonjun walks up the stairs, and he can see a sliver of the mirror through the opening. He holds his breath as he opens the door, bracing himself for what he knew he’d see.

His horns immediately draw his eyes, the biggest abnormality on his body. He can’t help but stare at them, hardly blinking as the smooth grain of them brings back thoughts he’d left buried in the bottom of his mind. When he snaps out of it, he shakes his head, eyes roaming the room for something before landing on a baby pink soap bar in a holder on top of the sink.

Yeonjun licks his lips.

Eventually Yeonjun came back down the stairs, hands actually clean for the first time in a while. Everyone was already eating and talking by Taehyun’s bay window, leaving the food unattended. Yeonjun grabbed a plate and grabbed a handful a bacon using his freshly washed hands before looking over his shoulder at Soobin and Beomgyu. 

If he was being honest with himself, he was nervous.

There were so many rules and things to remember that he was afraid he was forgetting something. The last thing he wanted was for either of them to scold him again. It wasn’t as if he hated being scolded, it was just that he didn’t want to disappoint them. Not to mention there were two other princes in there, not including Beomgyu. He wondered how upset they would be if he messed up.

“Hyung? Hyung can you hear me?” Beomgyu calls as he flies in front of Yeonjun’s face, snapping the elder from his daze.

“There he is.” Beomgyu teases before pointing to the chopsticks and various eating utensils sitting on the table, “Use those to pick up your food, that way you don’t get as messy okay? I assume you haven’t used chopsticks in quite a bit so I recommend the spoons and forks.”

“Thank you…” Yeonjun remembers to say as Beomgyu grabs a strawberry and flies off.

He feels a lot less jittery now that he’s had some guidance and fills his plate with as much as he can, but finds that it can’t hold nearly as much as he wants. He settles for what he has and goes to sit down next to the others on the floor.

He sits and listens as Soobin and Taehyun exchange knowledge about the forest, he notices Kai staring at the prince more than eating and catches Taehyun sneaking a glance at him every once and awhile, making him shift uncomfortably. He definitely needs more food, but can’t think of how to ask for it. Seconds later though, as if reading his mind, Taehyun tells him he can get more.

He quickly jumps up, going back to get seconds, and thirds, and fifths-

Until he decides he can’t stand up anymore without his stomach begging him not to. Soobin also notices Yeonjun’s tell-tale sign of being full, hiccups.

Taehyun notices this and offers to get Yeonjun another serving, convincing him with the point, “There’s plenty of food! I’d hate for it to go to waste!”

So, Yeonjun agrees, not wanting to be rude or anything considering the prince had just cooked all of this food for them. But after sevenths, Yeonjun is sure he can’t eat another bite without popping. It’s when Taehyun comes back with ninths that Soobin says something.

“Y-Your highness, um, not to be rude or anything b-but don’t you think he’s had enough?” Soobin stutters shyly as he looks over at Yeonjun who looks miserable. His arms are wrapped around his surely aching belly, he’s taking deep labored breaths, and Soobin can see him struggling to keep everything down with each hiccup.

Kai, who hadn’t been paying attention before was now focused on Yeonjun as well.

“Hyung!? Oh my goodness, are you okay!?” He gasps, crawling over to the changeling who was leaning against the wall whimpering as he cradled his stomach.

“N-No, not really. I-I don’t,” He groans and whimpers as another hiccup shoots through his body, “I-I don’t think I’ve ever eaten this much before.”

“Oh Hyung, that probably doesn’t feel good does it.” Kai huffs as he reaches his hand towards Yeonjun’s belly, “C-Can I help?”

Yeonjun nods, he doesn’t really care, as long as the ache goes away.

“I-I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean to make him sick.” Taehyun apologises as he backs away from the four, “I-I just wanted to see how much he could eat.”

“Y-You could’ve just asked…” Yeonjun hiccups, curling up even tighter as his whimpers get louder.

“S-Soobin? P-Please help.” Yeonjun sniffs and the elf quickly crawls over to him, panic rising in his throat as he notices Yeonjun’s condition is getting worse.

“It’s okay, I’m here, I gotcha.” He cooes, hands lighting up with a jingle as he places them on Yeonjun’s sides and pulls him into his lap, Kai still rubbing to aid digestion.

“I-I’m just gonna clean up.” Taehyun mumbles as he runs off, plate of steaming pancakes still in his hands, he couldn’t believe he had stuffed a changeling out of  _ curiosity _ .

“I’m just great at first impressions, aren’t I?” He mutters to himself as he facepalms and walks to the kitchen to clean up the leftovers. Kai looks up at the prince and back down at Yeonjun before standing.

“Beomgyu-hyung? Can you please keep rubbing Hyung’s belly for me? I’ll be right back.” Kai says and Beomgyu salutes in response, weightlessly landing on Yeonjun’s gurgling stomach before beginning his mission.

Kai runs up behind Taehyun, who’s aggressively washing the dishes. The suds cling to his arms from the sheer force of his scrubbing, splashing water onto the wall. Kai pokes Taehyun’s shoulder, making him pause.

“Sorry for that,” he sighs, “You should be helping your friend.”

Kai regards him thoughtfully, “Is there a reason you didn’t ask him before running a little ‘experiment’ on him?”

“I haven’t...exactly had actual people around for a while. I-I guess I kind of forgot others have feelings, and that consequences happen when you cross a line. I  _ really _ am sorry.”

“It’s a pretty big mistake,” Kai admits, keeping his face and voice straight when Taehyun hunches in on himself as he delivers his next line. “Hyung is probably gonna have you make him french toast for years to make up for it. My condolences.”

Taehyun’s face turns to look at him, pinning him with a vitriolic glare, “It’s not funny. It’ll be a miracle if he talks to me at all after that.”

“I dunno,” Kai says, gesturing to Beomgyu bouncing lightly on Yeonjun’s belly, “Beomgyu-hyung made him cry yesterday morning, and look at them now! Best of friends!”

“Really?” Taehyun scrunches his nose, “That’s different. They’ve probably known each other for years.”

“Nope. They met yesterday, same time. Yeonjun-hyung kind of had the yells coming since he tried to eat Beomgyu-hyung, but that was their first meeting through and through.”

“I-Are you kidding me?”

“Not at all! We lost track of both of them for a second and Beomgyu-hyung went from cursing Yeonjun-hyung down to his eighth generation to calling him ‘Yeonjun-ssi’ and practically worshipping him. Even _ Soobin-hyung _ didn’t get called by ‘-ssi’, and he’s been Beomgyu-hyung’s climbing pole since we had a bit of peace after they met!”

Taehyun covers his mouth, laughing lowly under his hand as Kai emphatically mimes a mini explosion between them. The dish he was washing lies forgotten in the sink. Kai smiles, and they hear a bubbling giggle come from the window.

Soobin is laughing at Beomgyu, who’s doing cartwheels on a seemingly-recovered Yeonjun’s torso after diving off the changeling’s nose from where he lies flat like a starfish on the ground.

Kai winks at Taehyun, gesturing for him to go on and following behind him as the prince squares his shoulders and makes toward the trio.

Outside, far in the currently clear sky, tar-black clouds roll in slowly from the east.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: See you Saturday!  
> Edit:  
> Translation notes:  
> Beomgyu's fairy is Na'vi (yes from avatar) while Soobin's Elvish is Quenya, from The Lord Of The Rings. Pardon any mistakes uwu
> 
> _Ni mére- ana care an tye _:I want to care for you.__
> 
> ___Tsawke rey tì'i'avay krrä hu oe _:The sun lives until the end of time with me. *In this context, I took some liberties and made up an idiom! It means something similar to "Fun lasts forever when I'm around."__ _ _


	9. The Storm Shakes The Shield

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’ll be fine,” Kai answers absently, turning around and walking up the steps.
> 
> _It has to be_ , he doesn’t say. 

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┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ˚✩ ⋆｡˚ ✩

┊ ┊ ┊ ✫

┊ ┊ ☪︎⋆

┊ ⊹ ┊

✯ ⋆ ┊ . ˚

˚✩

“ _The first night after he came to the town had been signalized by the most terrible gale ever recorded in the newspapers- a gale such as none of the inhabitants had ever before experienced. The air was dark with flying tiles; old wood-work crashed and fell; and a wheelbarrow ran up the streets all alone, only to get out of the way. There was a groaning in the air, and a howling and a shrieking, and altogether it was a terrible storm. The water in the canal rose over the banks, for it did not know where to run. The storm swept over the town, carrying plenty of chimneys with it, and more than one proud weathercock on a church tower had to bow, and has never got over it from that time._ ”

-Hans Cristian Andersen, _The Storm Shakes The Shield_

* * *

It’s mid-afternoon when they start to pack Taehyun’s bags. Taehyun, having apologised to Yeonjun for the nth time after the incident during lunch, begs them to help put away his clothes while he takes care of packing rations for the trip. He hands Soobin a bag that Kai swears is too small for their purpose, and the elf takes Beomgyu up to the loft to dig through Taehyun’s dresser. Kai and Yeonjun get tasked with Taehyun’s magic books and supplies, helpfully being informed that the bottom three shelves of the tall sets contains all of the books he’d need while the hidden underside of his enchanting table has components stashed away.

The pack he gives Yeonjun to put away the books almost seems to remove their weight, holding far more of the thick volumes than it should. Kai is putting a collection of a variety of dubious grasses and substances in a pouch when he notices the changeling running his hands over the lettering on the covers of the books, an absentminded fond smile printed on his face.

“Remembering something?” he teases, “Or should I say, some _one_?”

Yeonjun looks at him in surprise, before nodding, much to Kai’s shock. “Soobinie is teaching me a lot!”

“Careful there, or I might actually start thinking you’ve got a crush,” Kai scoffs. Yeonjun frowns, pouting.

“I can’t crush Soobinie, he’s too tall and strong for it. The only one I could crush is Beom-ah, since he’s small, but I’m being very careful with him.”

“Um, Hyung, not actually crush. Like you like them crush.” Kai explains as he puts more books into the bag. Yeonjun continues to stare at the young prince with confusion etched on his features.

“Like, you feel like your heart is gonna burst whenever you see them.”

“NO! Soobinie does NOT make me feel like that!”

Kai face palms, how was he going to explain a crush to someone so… oblivious? In the nicest way possible.

“Remember when you said you felt like you had butterflies in your tummy?” 

“Yeah?”

“Well like that, but whenever you look at his eyes your heart races and you can’t help but smile. Whenever you’re near him you feel safe, warm, and protected. Like you’d do anything for him and more, you’d give him all of your time and energy just to make sure he’s happy.”

“Like you and the prince?” Yeonjun pipes up innocently, causing Kai to choke on nothing.

“Okay, crushes are secrets too, y-you’re not supposed to tell anyone unless you wanna die okay? Okay, happy we’re on the same page buddy, nice talk.” Kai frantically spits out, grabbing the bag and running up the stairs to ask Soobin what to do with it. Leaving Yeonjun to sit and think about his newest curse.

If he told anyone, he’d _die_ ? If that was the case, it would’ve been better for him to not know he had a crush at all! Was the reason it was called a crush because it _crushed_ you?

Could it happen for more than one person?

Lightning strikes outside, causing Yeonjun to curl in on himself.

But that’s before he hears Soobin’s scream.

Everything in his body goes on high alert, instincts flaring immediately as his eyes flash red in the light of the lighting striking outside. He runs upstairs as fast as he can to find Soobin in the corner, curled into a ball as small as he can make, and covering his ears with tears rolling down his cheeks. Kai is kneeled in front of him turning around to see Yeonjun standing at his full height, fists clenched at his sides, growling.

“Hyung?! I-I don’t know what-”

His words are cut off by Yeonjun grabbing the collar of his shirt and slamming him against the wall.

“WHAT DID YOU _DO_!?”

“N-Nothing!” Kai chokes out as he tries his best to avoid eye contact with the elder, “Wh-When the lightning struck h-he... “

“H-Hyung! P-Put him-” Soobin’s words are cut off when he lets out another glass shattering scream, the sound only making Yeonjun angrier.

“Yeonjun-ssi! He’s telling the truth! Elves have extremely sensitive ears so the thunder is hurting them!” Taehyun calls as he runs over, only to be stopped from getting near Soobin by Yeonjun.

“Stay AWAY!”

“I-I just wanna help him, please!”

Yeonjun’s eyes flicker, “Y-You promise?”

“Yes, I promise Yeonjun-ssi, I’ll make him feel better.”

Soobin screams again and Yeonjun drops Kai and Taehyun, letting both princes near the elf as his eyes go back to their usual cool silver.

“Please help him.” Yeonjun whimpers as he falls to his knees and Beomgyu lands on his shoulder, nuzzling him tenderly.

Taehyun’s hands light up and he places them softly on Soobin’s ringing ears. The sound is dulled by some magical bubble Taehyun puts in his ears, he can hear their voices, just not the thunder.

“Better?”

Soobin nods gratefully before pulling Taehyun into a large, customary, bone-crushing Soobin hug. He releases the small boy and giggles as he cracks his back before looking up at Yeonjun. The elder looks down in shame, feeling horrible for letting his protective instincts get control over him like that.

“I-I’m sorry, I broke another ru-“

Soobin cuts off his words as he embraces Yeonjun into a warm hug.

“You’re so attractive when you’re angry.” Soobin whispers only to Yeonjun, causing the elders eyes to widen immediately. If his heart wasn’t already racing it definitely was now.

“Your protective instincts are strong, you were by his side in seconds.” Taehyun notes as Soobin let's Yeonjun go.

“I-I um, I don’t really have a-“

“No need for an explanation, I think we all know why.” Taehyun smirks as he walks away and Yeonjun feels sick.

He didn’t like having a crush, he really _really_ didn’t.

“I’m happy knowing we have him on our side rather than against it, I don’t think I could handle being swallowed again.” Beomgyu teased as he flew past Yeonjun.

“S-Sorry about that again…”

“It’s not your fault, you can’t help-“

Yeonjun shushes him immediately, earning questioning looks from all the others.

This day couldn’t get any worse.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The bags sit at the bottom of the tower staircase, tightly stuffed and ready to go. Kai stands at the crushed doorframe, feeling the draft from the wind and looking into the dark woods with resolve. Wrapped in a tiny blanket on his shoulder, Beomgyu sits with less determination and more fear, eyeing the roiling black clouds in the sky and flinching at the occasional distant sound of thunder.

“Is it a good idea to leave?” Beomgyu says, not quite drowned out by the whistling of the wind, “It looks like it’s gonna rain pretty hard…”

“It’ll be fine,” Kai answers absently, turning around and walking up the steps.

_It has to be_ , he doesn’t say. 

Soobin, Yeonjun and Taehyun are waiting at the top of the stairs. Taehyun has a messenger bag strapped across his shoulders, while Yeonjun holds the rose-gold sword in his hands and one of Taehyun's bags on his back, Soobin carrying the other. 

Taehyun has a white-knuckled grip on the strap of his bag as he speaks, "Are we-Are we going to leave now?"

“One thing first!” Kai exclaims, taking the sword from Yeonjun’s hands and holding it out to Taehyun, “This is yours!”

Unexpectedly, Taehyun’s jaw drops open, cheeks turning a bright cherry red. Kai looks at him in confusion as the prince waves an arm around.

“This is-Really? We don’t know each other that well, and it’s kind of a weird time-” Taehyun stutters, gesturing to everything around them. Soobin is also looking at Kai in surprise, a hand up to his chest.

“Kai-yah, _that’s_ what the sword was for? I didn’t take you for a romantic!” Beomgyu cackles, kicking his feet from under his blanket and fluttering up into the air. Kai frowns, looking about as confused as Yeonjun does.

Which definitely couldn’t be a good sign.

“There’s something I’m missing here.,” Kai grumbles, shaking the sword a little, “I’m just giving him his sword? Your sister gave it to me, she said it was your sixteenth birthday gift?”

Taehyun freezes, looking at Kai with a conflicted look on his face as Soobin pales rapidly, “It’s from her? Not…”

Before Kai can speak up Soobin steps in, putting a hand on his shoulder, “Kai-yah, you should’ve said that from the beginning! That’s not something nice to do!”

“I don’t even know what I did,” Kai cries as Taehyun steps back, mumbling to himself with resignation, “I was just giving him a sword and you all started acting like I’d just gotten on one knee!”

“You practically did, Kai-yah. Giving someone a sword to propose is pretty common,” Beomgyu lands on Soobin’s head, rubbing the elf’s hair and petting the leaflets poking out of it. Kai’s eyes widen astronomically, and he pulls the sword up to his chest defensively.

“I-I didn’t know? I haven’t gotten lessons on marriage etiquette in years...I’m sorry, t-that wasn’t how I meant it at _all.”_

“It’s okay,” Taehyun murmurs, “I shouldn’t have expected me to be what you...That’s on me for assuming things, don’t worry about it.”

Kai hesitates. Taehyun looks almost...disappointed at it, biting his lip and forcing a smile. Kai debates on what he can respond when a particularly loud crash of thunder zaps through the silence.

“We should go if we want to make good headway before the storm catches us,” Soobin says, hoisting the pack on his back a little higher before going down the stairs with Beomgyu still on his head. Yeonjun follows him dutifully, practically going down the steps two at a time to keep up with the elf’s long legs.

Taehyun walks past Kai, who holds out the sword again, shaking his head at the other prince and disappearing down the darkness of the tower.

Kai is left alone, sword glowing brightly in his hands and the knot in his gut turning into a horrid leaden ball. He walks down after throwing the inside of the tower one last look.

They’re already gathered outside when he finishes going down the stairs, and Yeonjun is staring at the sky with a frown.

“Maybe we should go back inside,” the changeling volunteers, “we shouldn’t-”

“We want to make it back as soon as possible,” Kai interrupts, “A little rain isn’t going to hurt.”

Yeonjun opens his mouth to protest, but opts not to and instead looks down. Kai pulls out his compass, turns until he finds due south, and starts walking. They follow silently.

It begins to rain early on, the water less of an even fall than a veritable torrent, the thick drops being splashed around by the winds until an inescapable chill settles on their skin. The trees offer little protection against the violent gails, and despite Taehyun’s help Soobin still jumps at every strike of thunder and the bright flash of lighting visible through the flailing leaves in the distance. Beomgyu is put into the collar of Soobin’s shirt, pressing his face against the side of the elf’s neck and grabbing the fabric tightly to avoid the raging of the storm, lest he be blown away.

When the sound of thunder follows only a split second after a lightning bolt, Yeonjun speaks again, voice thin through the wind, “I DON’T LIKE THIS!”

“Maybe we should-” Soobin stops and restarts after his words are yanked away, “MAYBE WE SHOULD GO BACK!”

“I AGREE! THIS AIN’T IT, CHIEF!” Beomgyu yells shrilly, a particularly strong gust blowing him against the curve of Soobin’s neck. 

Taehyun says nothing, his outline barely visible with his coat’s hood thrown over his head.

Kai looks at them, taking in their utter misery, and-

A bright thunderbolt happens closer than any has been, and there’s a loud roaring and crunching noise before the tree directly in front of them comes crashing down. The ground trembles even after the bark hits the ground, and the roars in the air rouse Soobin to take off in a run back towards the tower.

“RUN!” the elf cries, “GO BACK, JUST _RUN!”_

The five move through the rain as the trees and bushes collapse in their path, slipping past and tripping through the way they’d just come as the very skies themselves seem to open up to dump all their horrors on their heads. Beomgyu falls from Soobin’s collar at a particularly harsh turn, and it’s only Yeonjun’s quick reflexes that prevent him from being carried away by the storm.

They reach the tower’s clearing in time for lighting to strike the ground on the other side, scorching the tops of the trees and causing an especially tall one to creak and sway. Soobin and Yeonjun make a mad dash for the door, the elf grabbing the necks of the coats of the two princes and hauling them inside just as the tall tree collapses, falling across the opening and muffling the sounds of the ongoing downpour.

They’re safe.

“I just wanna say that I feel like Soobin-hyung would be the best choice for making all our decisions from now on,” Kai wheezes as he catches his breath, hands resting on his knees.

“Ya think?!” Yeonjun snaps and Kai knows his fists would be clenched if Beomgyu wasn’t in his hands, “I told you BEFORE we left that we shouldn’t go a-and you thought that we were fine! A good leader wouldn’t do that, h-he would listen to everyone and then make a decision.”

“Hyung, y-you don’t mean that…” Beomgyu says before sneezing so hard he almost falls out of Yeonjun’s hands. Yeonjun cups him close to his chest as a low growl rumbled up and out of his throat.

“I definitely do.”

“What do you know about being a leader, huh? You can’t even _read_ , I don’t think you’re in a position to be telling me what choices to make!" Kai bites and Taehyun grabs his shoulder and pulls him back, noting his hostile posture.

Yeonjun’s eyes flicker red as he takes a deep breath and turns around.

“Hyung, just breathe, please don’t hurt him.” Beomgyu begs as he crawls up Yeonjun’s sleeve, sneezing again. With his hands now empty the elder clenches his fists, much to Beomgyu’s dismay. Kai suddenly realizes he may have messed up, again.

“Listen here you puny prince,” Yeonjun starts as he grabs Kais collar and harshly slams him against the wall, knocking the air from his lungs, “This is the second time in two days I’ve warned you to do something, you haven’t listened, and you put all of our lives in danger because you wanna play hero.”

“I got us here didn't I?” Kai snaps back and Soobin cringes, he wished Kai didn’t respond.

Yeonjun scoffs, dragging Kai up the wall, “YOU?! You mean I? You mean Soobin? The only useful thing you’ve done is find Beomgyu. The three of us could’ve easily found Taehyun without you.”

“Hyung, please put him down, let’s just talk this out like civil human beings…” Soobin says softly as he slowly walks over to Yeonjun, hands out in front of him to show Yeonjun he wasn’t trying to hurt him.

“I don’t think so, I’m an animal remember?!” Yeonjun growls as his eyes go solid red now, fangs growing before their eyes, “TELL ME ONE THING HE’S DONE OTHER THAN HOLD US BACK OR HURT US?!”

“He brought us together.” Soobin states simply as Beomgyu flutters into his hands.

“Without him, how else would you have swallowed me?” Beomgyu giggles, causing a weak smile to grow on Soobin’s face.

“Seriously Hyung, he’s right. Without Kai we wouldn’t have met, isn’t that enough?” Soobin pleads and Yeonjun slowly lets Kai go, letting his body drop to the ground as he takes a deep stuttering breath and runs up the stairs.

The door slams behind him and Soobin immediately goes to chase after him.

“He needs space.” Taehyun says, grabbing the back of Soobin’s shirt.

“No! He needs me!”

“No! He needs space! Soobin-ssi, please just trust me.” The prince honestly pleads.

Soobin does so begrudgingly before running over to Kai instead, “Are you okay? Do you need anything? Th-That got pretty heated.”

“He’s right.” Kai mumbles as he curls into a ball.

“Huh?”

“H-He’s right! I’ve done nothing but make problems you guys have to fix!”

“Kai, that’s not true, he just said that because he was angry.” Beomgyu assures and Kai looks up with eyes full of tears.

“He’s right, name one thing I’ve done other than lead you guys into a death trap and take you away from your normal lives.”

Soobin places Beomgyu onto his shoulder before pulling Kai into his lap, “You gave me a family, I was alone and now I have you.”

“I was lost and injured until you found me and helped me.” Beomgyu adds and Taehyun comes over, sitting in front of Kai with a warm smile on his face.

“You came to save me.”


	10. Interlude: Cinderella

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Go ahead. Tell yourself: what makes those snakes better than the other prey in the world?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: ENJOY!!!!!!! phew it feels like its been ages!
> 
> S: I love how I’ve just been, non existent-
> 
> I just wanna say, I LOVE reading you guys comments, it’s literally the highlight of my day-
> 
> So please please please please keep commenting🥺
> 
> EDIT: OKAY NOTE, by Savi btw-
> 
> YEONJUN IS TALKING TO THE VOICE IN HIS HEAD- his thoughts are italicized and you can kinda tell who’s Yeonjun and who’s the voice KEBEJENEKE SORRY FOR THE CONFUSION, if you’re still confused feel free to ask questions🥺

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ˚✩ ⋆｡˚ ✩

┊ ┊ ┊ ✫

┊ ┊ ☪︎⋆

┊ ⊹ ┊

✯ ⋆ ┊ . ˚

˚✩

_“When the wedding with the prince was to be held, the two false sisters came, wanting to gain favor with Cinderella and to share her good fortune. When the bridal couple walked into the church, the older sister walked on their right side and the younger on their left side, and the pigeons pecked out one eye from each of them. Afterwards, as they came out of the church, the older one was on the left side, and the younger one on the right side, and then the pigeons pecked out the other eye from each of them. And thus, for their wickedness and falsehood, they were punished with blindness as long as they lived.”_

-Charles Perrault, _Cinderella_

* * *

Yeonjun ran up the stairs and into the loft, hiding under the blankets as he felt the oceans of emotions smashing against his mental dam.

Lashing out at Kai felt so good and so bad at the same time.

He tried to shake the thought from his head, tried to forget about the sense of satisfaction at having _hurt_ the person who made him angry, but it stuck to the forefront of his mind with a detestable adhesive. 

He refused―couldn’t afford―to like it. But at the same time the tendrils of long-brewed bitterness slithered up his head, aiming to paint every interaction he’d had over the past few days with their sickly sense of hatred for anything.

_They never truly trusted you_ , they said in their nauseatingly alluring tone.

_They wanted to use you._

_You’re a tool. A creature to carry their burdens and then be put down like an_ **_animal._ **

_They’re not like that_ , he argued weakly, _They care. I was wrong, I was angry._

_How can you be sure? They made you angry before, they’ve made you_ **_sad_ ** _before, they could do it again just like you’re used to,_

_They’re DIFFERENT! They don’t mean it in a bad way!_

_What makes them different, then? Why are they special?_

Yeonjun pauses, and the animalistic voices crow with pleasure.

_Go ahead. Tell yourself: what makes those_ **_snakes_ ** _better than the other_ **_prey_ ** _in the world?_

Yeonjun panics, because he can’t think, and if he can’t think then―

_Beomgyu knows! He knows! He knows about me and them and he’s STILL HERE!_

The voices hiss, awful, uncontrollable thoughts recoiling, _H_ _e screamed! He was angry at your presence, that means-_

_He was scared,_ he thinks as firmly as he can manage _, I did a bad thing and he was scared, and now it’s better. He knows about_ **_this_ ** _, and he stayed._

_The rest of them! They don’t know, what changes them from_ **_prey?_ **

The answer comes faster this time, _It’s not fair to call Taehyun into this, but he knows what I am. He knew the moment he saw me. And he doesn’t care._

_THE OTHERS! THEY’VE LEFT YOU, ALONE AND-_

**_Soobin_ ** _didn’t know about them. He’s done nothing wrong that I can blame him for._

_THE BOY PRINCE THEN!_ They roar, _HE IS THE REASON YOU ARE HERE NOW! YOU OWE HIM NO LOYALTY, WHAT IS HE TO YOU!? YOU SHOULD TEAR HIM TO PIECES FOR HIS_ **_DEFIANCE! HE HURT YOU! THEY’VE ALL HURT YOU! JUST LIKE THE OTHERS!_ **

He hesitates, and that’s enough for the tendrils to slither and tighten in on him. They flash the memories of his past, both of the last few days and the things he’d struggled to forget. 

What made it different? He’d known pain― **somuchpainsomuch** ―at the hands of others, others who’d wanted to―

_They didn’t mean to._

_...What?_

_Beomgyu, Kai, Taehyun,_ **_Soobin_ ** ― _They weren’t looking to hurt me. It’s different._

_But―They DID! Why should you forgive any of them? The Boy Prince! How do you know that_ **_prey_ ** _didn’t seek to hurt you from the start?l_

_Because he asked to be my friend. I_ **_always_ ** _asked the others to be them, which is why we weren’t really. But he...asked to. He_ **_wanted to_ ** _be my friend. They all want to be my friends..._

The voices are quiet. Yeonjun feels a sense of victory, ironically. He’s both won and lost the battle.

The fight was with himself all along, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: SORRY EVERYONE! There was an error in the posting, and part of the fic was repeated! Also, contrary to the other interlude, this one is linear in the timeline~


	11. The Nutcracker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All of it just made Yeonjun want to burst into tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: :3 back to the continuum!

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ˚✩ ⋆｡˚ ✩

┊ ┊ ┊ ✫

┊ ┊ ☪︎⋆

┊ ⊹ ┊

✯ ⋆ ┊ . ˚

˚✩

“ _As soon as Clara was alone, she quickly went over to do what was quite properly on her mind and what she could not tell her mother, though she did not know why. Clara still had the wounded Nutcracker wrapped in her handkerchief, and she carried him in her arms. Now she placed him cautiously on the table, unwrapped him softly, softly, and tended to the injuries. Nutcracker was very pale, but he beamed so ruefully and amiably that his smile shot right through her heart._ ”

― E.T.A. Hoffmann, _The Nutcracker_

* * *

“Guys? A-Are you there?” Yeonjun calls out of the apartment door and down the stairs into the silence, “Please tell me you didn’t leave…”

“We’re here Hyung!” Kai calls up the stairs, voice getting louder with every step he takes up the spiral. Yeonjun flinches at the sound of his voice and hides behind the door.

“Hyung? W-Why are you hiding?” Kai asks softly as he places a hand on the thick wood.

“A-Aren’t you mad at me?”

“Hyung!” The prince exclaims in disbelief as he pushes open the door, causing Yeonjun to trip backwards over a lifted rug corner and stumble onto his bottom. He immediately made himself as small as possible.

“He’s so cute… he thinks we’re mad at him.” Soobin coos, entering the room as Kai kneels next to the whimpering Yeonjun.

“If anything you should be mad at me Hyung. Wh-What I said was really disrespectful a-and you’re right.” The prince starts, his words making Yeonjun look up, silver eyes shimmering with tears, “I’m so sorry, I promise I won’t to anything like that ever again.”

There it was again, promise.

“I’m sorry too, I-I snapped, I shouldn’t have lost control like that. I promise it won’t happen again.” Yeonjun nods, lips poked out in a determined pout, he knew the personal significance of those words.

“Awww, Hyung, how do you manage to be so soft inside and out?” Kai teases as he pokes Yeonjun’s soft side, causing him to giggle.

“Trust me, I’m not as soft as you think.” He mumbled to himself.

“Huh?”

“I said, I’m just as soft as you think.”

Soobin heard what he actually said.

“So um, now that this is settled, what’s the plan new leader?” Kai asks Soobin, snapping him from his daze.

“Oh! Um well, it’s kinda cold and wet outside, so I think we should probably just catch up on one well needed sleep and stay warm.” He explains before pausing and quickly turning to face Taehyun who was walking up to his loft, “I-IF THAT'S OKAY WITH YOU OF COURSE!”

Taehyun chuckles softly, blankets already in hand, “Of course it is, I can light a fire and I’ll set up something for you all to sleep on!”

“CAN I PLEASE HAVE MY OWN BED?!” Beomgyu quickly exclaims, shooting his hand up as if he were a student in a classroom. Taehyun nods before grabbing a book and a few clean shirts for the fairy to sleep on comfortably.

“W-Why? D-Do you not like taking naps on my shoulder?” Soobin pouts, earning a scoff from Beomgyu.

“I’ve never fallen asleep on your shoulder before, I always end up scared for my life. You walk like a baby deer-“

Soobin gasps, earning a round of hidden giggles and snorts from the others.

“Huening Kai you’re not much better, you have a bit of royal grace to your walk but you often forget to calculate how big you actually are, it’s like you forget that you’re actually the second tallest person in our group!”

“I’m not _that_ tall.” Kai mumbles shyly as he looks down at his lap.

“You’re huge for a human.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

“AM NOT!”

“ARE TOO!”

“CAN YOU JUST COME FOR YEONJUN-HYUNG AND GET THIS OVER WITH!?”

“Hey…” Yeonjun pouts, crossing his arms over his chest like an angry toddler who just got their crayon snatched.

“Yeonjun-ssi actually-”

“HYUNG!”

“Huh!?”

Soobin smirks before translating, “He wants you to call him Hyung.”

“Oh,” Beomgyu blushes before starting again, “Yeonjun-HYUNG… actually walks better than both of you.”

“WHAT!?” Soobin and Kai practically scream in unison, causing Taehyun to snort as he lays out the blankets by the fireplace and lights it with a snap.

“He walks like he’s on clouds, light and smooth, feet seemingly never touching the ground. Yet, with so much power, it’s mesmerizing.”

“Oh, I-I didn’t know anyone paid that close attention.”

“Of course I do, how could anyone not?” Beomgyu smirks and Yeonjun’s breath catches in his throat as his heart goes into double time. Soobin looks at Beomgyu in shock and intrigue, before looking down at his feet, avoiding eye contact with the elder whose cheeks are turning redder and redder by the second.

He was so freaking cute.

Kai’s eye twitches before he slaps his hands on the ground, startling his hyungs out of whatever the heck was going on, “Go ahead Yeonjun-hyung, since you’re so good at walking, show us.”

The boy all but challenges and Yeonjun looks up at Beomgyu and Soobin who are watching him with two completely different looks on their faces. Beomgyu is smirking, looking at Yeonjun through his eyelashes in a way that makes his heart thump in his chest. Soobin just stares and looks away shyly, as if avoiding eye contact with him, which only makes his heart race even faster he thinks.

_Deep breaths, Yeonjun._ He was frozen in his spot, unable to move with all eyes on him. It was like his antlers actually made him a deer in headlights.

“Is anyone hungry?” Taehyun suddenly asks from the kitchen as he searches the fridge, oblivious of the tension going on behind him.

“I AM!” Yeonjun all but screams as he runs to Taehyun’s side.

“I sort of expected you to say yes.” Taehyun teases, “Anyone else? I’m planning on making melts to get rid of the perishable items before we leave tomorrow morning.”

The others raise their hands and Taehyun nods before taking out the correct amount of ingredients, meaning all of them, perfect.

“What’s a melt?” Yeonjun innocently asks as Taehyun smacks his hand away from the meat.

“Wash your hands, remember? Anyways, it’s meat and cheese in between two slices of bread pressed together and melted.”

“Is it yummy?”

“I’m sure it would be if I make it.” Taehyun teases as he smacks Yeonjun’s reaching hand again, earning a giggle from Kai as he washes his hands to assist Taehyun.

“Do you wanna help or do you just want a taste?” Taehyun bluntly asks and Yeonjun shrugs.

“Both?”

“Kai please move over a bit so he can wash his hands.” The elder prince asks and Kai nods before shaking the remaining droplets from his hands and stepping over to the side so Yeonjun could have some space.

The younger boy smiles down a him, “You know I was just kidding around earlier? I kinda noticed how tense you got when I put all the attention on you.”

Yeonjun runs his hands under the warm water before answering, “Um yeah, I-I’m just not used to having a lot of eyes on me so I kinda froze up.”

“That’s okay, understandable even. I don’t like a lot of eyes on me either, when we have balls at the palace I get nervous around all those people. Just know you’re safe here, okay? This is your family now, we’d never hurt you on purpose and we’ll try our best to protect you.”

A family, safety, protection, stability-

All of it just made Yeonjun want to burst into tears.

“Oh no, you’re crying, why are you crying?!” Kai panics as he backs away to look Yeonjun up and down.

He sniffs, burying his face in his hands as warm heavy tears silently run down his chubby cheeks.

“I-I’m crying because, I-I’m crying because I-I don’t know actually…”

“You’re happy, those are tears of relief.” Taehyun smiles as Soobin and Beomgyu walk over to the changeling, bewildered looks on their faces.

“I-Is he okay? Wh-What happened to him!? Did he hurt himself cooking!?” Soobin panics, reaching his hand out towards Yeonjun protectively, wanting to pull him away from whatever was hurting him.

Yeonjun shakes his head, rubbing the underside of his eyes with the heels of his hands and putting his trembling bottom lip between his teeth, “‘m not hurt, just-”

“I think he needs a hug,” Kai says, only partially kidding, “Yeonjun-hyung, I know you wanted to help, but would you rather sit down? You haven’t exactly had a lot of... _rest_ these days.”

Yeonjun almost seems to physically deflate, putting one hand down and bringing the right up to his lips, where he picks and bites at his cuticles. Beomgyu flits forward, snatching a bit of cheese and holding it in front of Yeonjun’s face, putting one tiny hand on the side of Yeonjun’s own.

“Come sit with us, Hyung,” says the fairy, waving the bit of cheese enticingly. Yeonjun’s eyes practically sparkle, rapidly taking the hand from his lips and using it to grab the cheese and nibble at it lightly, nodding as Beomgyu lands on his head. Soobin walks up beside him and takes his left hand to lead him away, looking over his shoulder with nervousness written across features at Kai and Taehyun.

Taehyun and Kai give him near-simultaneous thumbs up, Taehyun mouthing ‘Good Luck’ at him before turning back to the kitchenette.

Taehyun takes his apron, that he’d folded neatly atop the counter before they left, unfolding it and putting the strap around his neck before tilting his head towards Kai, “Kai-ssi?”

Kai blinks, “Er, yes?”

“Can you tie my apron for me? I want to start unpacking the meats since they’re wrapped to avoid...leaks.”

Kai nods, alarm bells ringing inside his head as metaphorical papers explode all over his mind when he carefully grabs the two straps and pulls them together in the first knot. The tip of his nose tingles slightly, and he can smell a light apple scent from Taehyun’s hair, undertoned by something slightly spicy similar to cinnamon. He ties the two strings into a knot as quick as he can manage, accidentally sabotaging his own mind as he realizes that the bow’s hanging leftovers would be enough to wrap around the prince’s waist at least one or two more times.

_Small_ , Kai thinks, _Dainty._

“Kai,” Taehyun says, “Double around my waist, it doesn’t fit properly with just one.”

_Oh sweet, merciful Jesus._

His fingers shake as he unties the knot, carefully putting his arms around Taehyun to pass the straps around his body. He’s so preoccupied with the act that he misses the way Taehyun’s breath hitches, and the way he blinks repeatedly and only breathes again once Kai brings the strings back and finishes tying them again. 

Kai feels the warmth from Taehyun’s body in his arms, prickling on the surface of his skin long after he’s stepped away.

They work in silence after that, only trading soft murmurs of passing ingredients as they prepare several sandwiches while the pan sputters and melts butter. At one moment Kai reaches over him to grab another slice of bread, but trips and ends up pressing forward, cornering Taehyun against the counter. Taehyun freezes as Kai apologizes profusely, the taller moving back and choosing to instead just walk around rather than lean over him again. 

Something shifts in the atmosphere, and Kai this time notices Taehyun lingering closer to him at times, even pausing or extending his fingers further when taking things from Kai’s hands. He files that information away for the time being, and finishes up with the sandwich in his hands.

They finish making the melts, and the air is filled with the scent of burnt butter and the thick smell of toasted bread. Kai piles them all sloppily on a very large plate while Taehyun cleans up and shuts off the oven, putting empty bags that used to house the meats into a small trash can beside the counter.

Taehyun walks so closely behind him while he brings the plate to the shapeless pile of blankets he estimates is made up of their companions that he bumps into his back once he stops, taking a couple seconds to step back.

"Taehyun-ssi," Kai says, putting the plate down by the blankets and watching five melts disappear in a fraction of the moment it takes him to blink. "Is something wrong? You've been acting odd."

Taehyun twiddles his thumbs, but otherwise keeps his face impassive. You can only tell he's flustered by the splash of pink in the skin over the collar of his shirt. He grabs a sandwich and steals one blanket from the pile, wrapping it around himself and sitting by the fire, and takes a single, tiny bite. He stays quiet.

Kai sits cross-legged beside him, slowly inching closer until his knee is brushing against Taehyun's, who's eyes snap to the point of contact as if hypnotized. He awkwardly puts his arm out, hooking it behind Taehyun's neck and gently patting at the opposite shoulder.

The boy jumps once and drops his sandwich before he completely _melts_ against him, leaning into the crook of his neck and wrapping his own arms around Kai's midriff. Taehyun is practically burying himself in his side, with how he's pulling Kai in.

"Don't move," Kai hears him say, and feels the shuddering breath Taehyun takes, "It's been...too long. Please?"

Kai's stomach leaps off a cliff, and his heart pounds in his throat. He puts his other arm on Taehyun’s back while blood rushes in his ears, pulling him into his lap. Taehyun puts the blanket around the both of them and sinks his face into Kai’s neck, humming lightly.

"Okay," Kai hears himself say, "Yeah, okay. Anytime you need."

Eventually Taehyun falls asleep, taking long, deep breaths as his eyelashes flutter lightly and tickle the skin under Kai’s chin. Kai remains awake and alert for much longer, but eventually the leaden warmth of Taehyun’s hug and the smell of apples in his nose cause him to drift off without his consent. He won’t remember when it happens, save for the fire’s light flickering as it burns through the last chunk of wood for the night.


	12. Little Briar Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soobin hesitates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: eheheheh~
> 
> S: I don’t know why she’s cackling... ANYWAYS sjsbsjsn please enjoy! Your comments are awesome! I love seeing your feelings about the story and what you’re figuring out🥺
> 
> If there’s any specific detail you enjoyed or even had a question about PLEASE ask uwu

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_ “She wanted to avenge herself for not having been invited, and without greeting anyone or even looking at them she cried out with a loud voice, ‘In the princess's fifteenth year she shall prick herself with a spindle and fall over dead.’ And without saying another word she turned around and left the hall. _

_ Everyone was horrified, and the twelfth wise woman, who had not yet offered her wish, stepped foreward. Because she was unable to undo the wicked wish, but only to soften it, she said, "It shall not be her death. The princess will only fall into a hundred-year deep sleep. _ ”

-Little Briar-Rose,  _ Grimm’s Fairy Tales _

* * *

The first thing Soobin thinks about when he wakes up is the plate of sandwiches he can just barely see out of the corner of his eye. The sun’s rays land on the buttery shine on the plate, while the significantly shrunken pile of cheesy melts sits in the middle, stone cold. A few feet away from the plate lies a sandwich with one bite taken out of it in Yeonjun’s pudgy hand.

Soobin looks down to see Yeonjun’s head resting across his chest, antlers facing away from his face and wrapped in a cocoon of blankets, at least that’s what it looked like without his glasses on. There was a sandwich in his other hand as well, sitting on Soobin’s shirt, buttery grease soaking into his shirt but at this point he didn’t mind. Beomgyu was resting comfortably on Yeonjun’s pillowy tummy, rising and falling with his steady breaths. He seemed to have totally forgotten about the bed he requested that was sitting on the couch a few feet away.

The position itself isn’t unfamiliar, reminiscent of a couple nights ago. What’s different is him, and their ‘friendship’, or so it feels like. The night before they’d met Beomgyu they’d only known each other a day, and while he’d thought he was cute there wasn’t much else, but now....

Now they knew each other better, and there was the question of  _ Beomgyu _ , as well.

As if reading his thoughts the fairy wakes up with a start, looking around blearily and standing. As his weight was so slight, Yeonjun didn’t even stir from his deep sleep. Their eyes meet, and Beomgyu smiles brightly, causing his heart to jump.

The question of Beomgyu, indeed.

“Good morning, Soobin-ah,” Beomgyu whispers, flitting to stand across from the sandwich on his shirt and lifting it as best as he can. The fairy strong-arms the melt off Soobin’s chest, picking up a napkin from nearby and putting it on the greasy little spot on his shirt, sitting down on top of it with a tired huff.

“Isn’t it Soobin- _ hyung _ to you?” he whispers back, raising an eyebrow. Beomgyu bristles, so he smirks, “A year to nineteen hundred is still a _ year _ .”

“You’re not nineteen hundred yet either! I can call you Soobin-ah as much as I want ‘til December! Plus, if you round up to human years we’re the same age.”

“Eighteen hundred and ninety nine for a few more months still won’t put you in my year,” Soobin says, smile betraying him. He doesn’t notice Yeonjun start to stir on his chest, “No matter how you count it it’s gonna be more on my end.”

“I already-” Beomgyu laughs, interrupting himself. He tries his best to put on a straight face, and they both finally see Yeonjun waking up via a loud yawn coming from the changeling’s mouth. Soobin grins fondly at the back of the fairy’s head as he turns, brushing Yeonjun’s bangs out of his eyes.

“Good morning, sleepyhead Hyung,” Beomgyu teases softly, waving one hand in front of Yeonjun’s face, “Rest well?”

Yeonjun scrunches his nose, nodding and rubbing his face on Soobin’s shirt. The elf laments the feeling of crumbs falling deeper into his clothes for barely a moment as Yeonjun sits up, releasing himself from his plush prison and wordlessly reaching for the fallen sandwich on the side. Beomgyu flies into the air as Soobin stands up, stretching out and popping his back before taking a step over the plate of cold sandwiches Yeonjun pulls against his hip, nibbling idly at the sandwich he’d grabbed.

He almost trips over the tangled forms of Taehyun and Kai, the elder with a leg thrown over Kai’s hips and his face buried in his neck, blanket lying forgotten to the side. Soobin steps past them too, leaving behind Beomgyu giggling over them as he goes up to the loft and opens the door to the bathroom.

He washes his face with water, blinking at his fuzzy reflection in the mirror and noting the surprisingly missing bar of soap as he rinses the sleep from his mouth. He hears bustling slowly come to life at the bottom of the stairs when he leaves the bathroom, closing the door behind him, and peeks over the edge to see Yeonjun poking the two sleeping youths with the tip of his toe as Beomgyu lounges on his head.

“Just wake them up,” he calls, bringing Kai to consciousness as enough noise is finally made to wake him. Taehyun wakes up almost immediately after, being catapulted to the side as Kai panics and shoves him away. Beomgyu laughs at them as Kai apologizes over and over, while Yeonjun walks over to Soobin, who’s coming down the last few sets of stairs. 

“The bags are already packed, right?” the changeling more says than asks, beaming, “We can leave as soon as you give the word!”

Soobin hesitates.

“I think we can have a bite from the pantry, then get going?” he says finally, “I don’t actually  _ need _ to eat, so I’m going to go take the tree from the front of the tower out while you-”

“What do you mean, you don’t need to eat?” Kai says from where he overheard them, Taehyun clinging to his arm and looking like a cat that caught the canary. 

Beomgyu flies over to lean on Yeonjun’s horns, “Elves need to eat, that I know of. One of them nerfed my uncle’s great-great-great grandfather back when there was a feud between-”

“I don’t know what ‘nerfed’ means, but I’m not like other elves,” Soobin cuts him off, “I can just drink some water and call it a day as long as I get plenty of sun, for the most part. I still like to do it sometimes since food tastes good though.”

Taehyun drags Kai forward, eyes sparkling, “Fascinating...Do you-”

“Nope! Not doing this right now, go eat something and meet me downstairs!”

“But-”

“No buts! All of you! I’m giving you twenty minutes or I kidnap Taehyun and just take him to his castle myself!”

“Hyung, you don’t mean that! Hyung? Hyung! HYUNG THAT WAS A JOKE, RIGHT!?”

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“So, you’re planning on like, lifting that ENTIRE tree… with your bare hands.” Beomgyu starts from the top of Yeonjun’s head, resting against his antler, dramatically rubbing his chin in thought.

“Yup.” Soobin answers bluntly as he kicks the door to the apartment open and makes his way down the tower stairs to the door holding Taehyun in his arms, or just, what used to be the door.

“I mean, I totally believe in your giant super strength and everything but-”

“Don’t doubt him, he can do it,” Yeonjun pipes up as he nibbles on one of melts from the previous night. Taehyun had offered to make him something fresh but the changeling grew impatient while waiting for him to cook so he just ate the remaining sandwiches.

“Don’t doubt our leader,” Kai stated before placing a firm hand on Soobin’s shoulder and suddenly the younger’s hand felt like a boulder on his sturdy frame. Kai squeezed as he felt Soobin get visibly tenser under his hand, “It’s okay, we know you’re the right choice.”

“You’re strong, smart, wise, and level-headed. My father would love to put you on the throne.” Taehyun adds, arms wrapped around Soobin’s neck as the elf carries him bridal-style to take his own joke as far as he can.

“It’s nice to know someone approves.” Soobin exhales as he sets Taehyun down and watches as Kai grabs him and wraps his arms around the elder’s small waist. Beomgyu opens his mouth to ask about it, but Soobin signals him to silence from behind their backs while they step out into the ground of the bottom of the staircase.

The tree over the doorway plunges the area into near pitch-black darkness, with slivers and streams of light slipping in self contained beams that just barely allow them to see. Up close, without the adrenaline of the awful storm and with the vision granted by the light, the task seems daunting to all of the non-Soobins. 

Soobin’s fingers dig into the bottom of the tree, seeking traction in the rough bark and causing it to splinter as he pulls and presses up on it. His palms crack the wood, and the tree groans loudly as it lifts a couple inches from the ground. The four gape at the way Soobin hoists the tree up, getting a better grip before he steps out of the opening and drags it to the side, bathing them with an inundation of sunlight.

“ _ Tewti…”  _ Beomgyu breathes. Yeonjun gulps in agreement, harshly swallowing the bite he’d taken of the sandwich in his hand.

The clearing is covered in shattered branches and mounds of dirt, the fall of the tallest tree having dug deep scars into the earth and churning the wet dirt up to the surface. The holes of upchucked roots are filled with water and leaves, while the ground that managed to save itself is splattered with mud, same as the trees around the glade.

They tread carefully outside, and hear Soobin gasp. Kai turns to face in his direction, and the breath is practically punched from his lungs.

An immense tree, so large and broad it resembles a massive, inescapable wall lies across the horizon. The leaves at the treetop just barely reach the middle of the forest, while the log of it traces down the skyline towards the west, altogether messily bisecting the woods. His brain can barely comprehend the scale of it, the almost black bark and the neon green leaves that gradient to a deep, nasty purple near the bottommost branches. The roots of the tree are so far he can barely see them, surrounded in the edge of his vision by a familiar dark mass that seems a lot more shapeless than before.

“The Baobabs…” Soobin says, thunderstruck and struggling for words, “One of the Baobabs fell―It hasn’t happened in―Oh, what kind of-”

“It’s huge!” Kai cries incredulously, “That forest is  _ miles _ away! How could it reach all the way over here!?”

Taehyun’s hand grips Kai’s arm, turning around in his hold to face him. “It’s huge and  _ in our way!” _

“Huh? Wait-” Kai reaches one hand into his pocket and pulls out his compass, face paling as the needle turns and shifts as he points it towards the direction of the top of the Baobab.

South.

The feeling of horror is lessened by the realization that the top only covers some of their path, at most creating an extra day of travel, but the deviation in the path pushes them far closer to the East than he’s comfortable with.

“We can worry about _...that _ when we get there,” Soobin says nervously, walking closer to them and taking the bag he’s assigned from Yeonjun, “It’s not cutting us off completely, at the very least.”

The playful mood from earlier has been completely squashed by the foreboding shadow of the Baobab, seeding doubts and questions into their heads as they aim south-east, rather than due south.

The silence while they walk lasts much longer than it needs to.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The ground closer to the edge of the forest is crawling with runners and short bushes with flat, broad leaves. The further they walk the taller the little bushes become, until they reach to barely brush at Kai’s knees. An instinct at seeing the thin, delicate runners makes them tiptoe and hop to avoid stepping on them, searching for the places not covered by greenery to tread next. The light workout tires them out quickly, and barely half an hour passes among the bushey fields before Yeonjun’s stomach lets out a loud, hungry growl.

They sit down in a patch of ground that’s only just moist, and notice that a slight elevation in the ground levels leaves all the bushes out of puddles, allowing the water to run off the sides and leave the soil mostly dry.

“It’s pretty much perfect for these little guys,” Soobin says, rubbing the underside of a leaf with his fingers, “Strawberry bushes don’t like wet roots.”

Yeonjun jumps up, looking at the leaves around his feet with newfound interest, “These are strawberry bushes!? Do they have any!?”

“They’re out of season right now, but…” The elf twitches his fingers minutely, and flowers bloom on the plants near him, rapidly wilting and budding into little fruits that expand and grow into perfect little red strawberries that dangle temptingly from the tips of the stalks. Yeonjun’s eyes sparkle as Soobin snaps one off and holds it out to him, the rest of the boys too busy with their packed jerky and stored food to notice the fresh fruit.

The changeling gently grabs the strawberry and presses it to his lips, biting off the tip and causing the juice to burst across his tongue and the sweet scent to travel up into his nose. 

“That’s what it was!” Yeonjun swallows quickly, exclaiming and startling Soobin, “I couldn’t remember but there it is! Strawberries!”

“What...is strawberries?” Soobin purses his lips. Yeonjun flushes, eating the rest of the fruit in his hand and throwing the tip to the ground, shuffling his feet.

“I-I couldn’t figure out what it was you smelled like,” he stutters, causing Soobin’s eyes to widen, “It’s-It’s strawberries. You smell like pine and strawberries. I noticed it, last night.”

Soobin’s cheeks flood with colour, shade almost matching the strawberries as he gapes with shock, “I-I do? That’s what-You  _ sniffed _ me?”

“I-Only a little bit! I can’t turn off my nose, and we were-”

“I know we were-I know we were hugging, okay?” Soobin drops to a whisper, mortified, “It was a stupid question.”

"What are you whispering about?" Beomgyu pipes up, fluttering in from Kai's shoulder and landing on Yeonjun's head, "Ooh! You found strawberries! Good Job!"

“N-Nothing.” Yeonjun stutters out as he bends over quickly, going back to fill his cheeks so he wouldn't be asked to talk. He moves quick enough that it sends Beomgyu off the top of his head and into Soobin’s chest with a thump, Soobin quickly catches him and Beomgyu looks up, small smile on his face.

“How often do you eat strawberries?” The fairy asks as he floats down from Soobin’s hands and into the small shrubs beneath their feet. He looks for the largest strawberry he can find and beams when he sets his eyes on it, but apparently Yeonjun already had his chubby fingers on it.

Beomgyu smirks before quickly running to grab the berry from his fingers. He yanks it from his grip and cackles sofly beneath the leaves as he hears a sound of surprise and disappointment from above.

“Where did it go?” He pouts and Beomgyu backs away as the changeling searches through the bushes for his perfect berry.

“Where’s what?” Soobin asks as he looks down at Yeonjun’s distressed pout, a small whimper escapes him and Soobin’s face twists with concern.

“What’s wrong Hyung?”

“M-My berry, I-It was so big and yummy looking and my mouth is watering and I really want it.” Yeonjun explains as his whimpers get increasingly louder. Soobin’s head tilts and he can’t help but coo at Yeonjun’s childlike innocence, he was just so god forsaken adorable.

“Hyung! I picked this for you!” Beomgyu calls out innocently as he breaks the surface and holds the berry up to the elf’s pretty pink lips.

“Awww, Beomgyu, you know I don’t eat-”

“Please Hyung? I picked it just for you, open up.” The fairy begs, giving Soobin the biggest glistening puppy eyes he could muster.

Yeonjun wanted someone to pick berries for him―no, he just wanted his berry back.

“Come on Hyung, don’t be difficult, say ahhh.” Beomgyu giggles as he places one small hand under Soobin’s chin causing him to giggle too.

“Fine.” Soobin finally agrees, opening his mouth begrudgingly and closing it around the berry, humming as Beomgyu pulls the stem from his lips.

“ _ Mmmm _ ―Beomgyu this is honestly the best berry I’ve ever had! How in the world did you find the single-” Soobin pauses as he looks over Beomgyu’s shoulder to see Yeonjun standing there with the most broken look on his face, like a puppy who’d just gotten its tail stepped on.

“Beomgyu, where  _ did  _ you get this berry from?”

“The berry bushes?” The small fairy replies with a scoff as if it were obvious.

“No you didn’t.”

“Huh? Where else did I-” Soobin cuts him off by pushing him out of his face so he could get to Yeonjun. The elder’s bottom lip was being gnawed between his teeth as he stood there wringing his hands.

“D-Did I just eat the berry you were looking for?” The elf asks as he reaches his up to cup Yeonjun’s face in his hand.

“How would he know, it was just some obscure little fruit in-”

“Zip it Beomgyu.” Soobin snaps, “Was it Hyung?”

Yeonjun nods weakly and Soobin feels a wave of guilt drop to the bottom of his stomach, his mouth tastes bitter as if the berry was poison on his tongue. He immediately drops to his knees and places his hands on the shrubbery, closing his eyes as a familiar bell rings through the air and his hands light up.

“Beomgyu?” Soobin starts as he clears his throat and the fairy comes and lands on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry Hyung, I-I honestly didn’t think that a berry would upset you that much. I genuinely wasn’t trying to hurt your feelings, I was just playing around.” The fairy apologizes and Yeonjun nods in understanding, Beomgyu reaches out for a hug and Yeonjun smiles as he pulls the tiny little fairy into his arms.

“And here is your strawberry.” Soobin smiles as he lifts a strawberry as big as a watermelon from the ground and drops it in Yeonjun’s arms. It’s bright and shiny, almost too perfect to eat…

Yeonjun takes a large bite from the side and Soobin giggles as the juice drips messily down the sides of his face.

“Holy-” Kai starts as he walks over with Taehyun linked to his arm.

“THAT’S A STRAWBERRY!?” Taehyun screams as he unlinks himself and runs over to Yeonjun, he wants to know exactly how this happened. He pokes the side and flinches as Yeonjun snaps at him.

“Hyung!” Soobin scolds and Yeonjun growls before taking another large bite from the abnormal berry.

“He’s never done that before, I’m sorry.” Soobin apologizes, but Yeonjun’s reaction only makes him even more curious.

“He’s defensive over his food, interesting...” Taehyun starts before frantically taking out his notebook from his pack, things fall out onto the ground, pencils and soap falling into the dirt below. Kai immediately bends over to pick it up and put it back in his backpack, smiling as Taehyun nods at him in a thank you.

“Is he-” Soobin starts as he points to Taehyun taking notes on Yeonjun, who knows none the better as he devours the watermelon sized strawberry. Kai waves his arms as if to ask Soobin to not bring it up and Soobin glares at him.

“Please?” Kai mouths.

“You didn’t listen to me about Yeonjun!”

“And now you’re in love with him,” Kai smirks as he wraps his arms around himself and makes kissy sounds.

“I AM NOT! I see him as a friend-” Soobin mouths back aggressively and Kai rolls his eyes.

“Fine, you can keep him,” Soobin mouths, crossing his arms as Kai silently cheers. Beomgyu is too transfixed on watching Yeonjun take out the entire strawberry in seconds to notice what's going on around him.

“Done.” Yeonjun huffs, hiccuping as he drops the stem of the berry on the ground with a thump, “That was  _ amazing _ , I’m stuffed.”

“Did he just-” Soobin starts and they all nod slowly as Taehyun furiously scribbles something onto his notepad.

“I wish I would’ve timed that, if I had all my equipment I could’ve but-”

“Hyun, stop, he’s not just another of-of your lab rats.” Kai snaps and Taehyun looks up at Yeonjun, sheepish.

“I-Got it, sorry,” the prince worries his lip, putting the notebook back in his pack and picking a strawberry, turning it between his thumb and forefinger before nibbling at it while Soobin helps Yeonjun up and offers him a flask of water for his hiccups.

Much to Taehyun’s surprise Kai still steps forward, hooking an arm around his waist and settling it on his hips like second nature, pressing him against his side.

“It’s okay, we’ll work on it,” the boy murmurs into Taehyun’s hair, leaving him with a fluttering sensation in his stomach as Kai speaks up, “Are we done? I think we can move further into the woods and walk for a few more hours to avoid getting tired on the outskirts. Soobin-hyung?”

“Hm?” the elf hums, folding up the hand towel he’d used to clean up Yeonjun’s face as Beomgyu lands in the collar of his shirt, “Sounds good! I’d say we can go for three or four more hours if we pace ourselves before we get too tired. Let’s go.”

Kai and Taehyun follow behind the elder trio, but not before Taehyun bites off the whole strawberry he has, grabbing one more while tossing the stem and holding it up to Kai’s lips, a teasing glint in his eye.   
  


─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Taehyun goes on about strawberries with Soobin, and Kai just listens as his two best boys get along. Soobin teaches him how he grew the berry so big, and Taehyun practices with the berries Soobin gathered and put into his backpack. He feeds all the failures to Yeonjun and he doesn’t seem to complain. Kai just keeps a steady eye on the two of them to make sure that one, Taehyun doesn’t overfeed him again, and two, Yeonjun doesn’t just keep eating and make himself sick.

“I-I did it!” Taehyun triumphantly exclaims as he holds the giant strawberry in his hands, beaming as he holds it out to Kai for him to take a bite.

“It’s really good Hyung, sweet and juicy, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back to not magic berries again.” Kai teases and Taehyun’s cheeks turn to match the strawberries in color.

“It’s a bit deformed, but it’s really good for a first successful run!” Soobin encourages and Taehyun beams again, turning to Kai as if to ask him if he heard the praise he just got. Kai nods, small smile on his face as he watches Taehyun cradle the berry like a baby. It was the size of a baby to be fair, which made it even more impressive that Yeonjun had eaten an entire one in a few minutes.

Eventually they had to eat it because Taehyun was getting tired from carrying it.

“I eat almost nothing compared to you four.” Beomgyu points out jokingly as he licks the last of the juice from his fingers.

“That’s not bad, do you know what I would give to have a smaller appetite?” Yeonjun chuckles, “Just a little bit, so I wouldn’t have to eat so often.”

“What do you mean HAVE to eat so often?” Soobin asks and Yeonjun freezes, realizing he probably said too much. Taehyun turns his head to Yeonjun and looked him up and down, Kai grabs his arm before cutting in.

“D-Do you think we can find some water to wash all this strawberry juice off with? I-It’s starting to attract bugs and it’s getting really sticky.” 

Soobin nods, “We should be nearing a river soon actually, we can rest there for a bit while we clean up.”

Kai smiled, he knew they picked the right person to be leader.

The five of them kept walking until they could hear the sound of rushing water through the air, leaving their packs by a tree and wandering a little to see a lush, green riverbank, swollen from the rain the night before but with clear water flowing inside.

They rinse their hands and faces with it, reaching places they hadn’t even guessed were sticky. Beomgyu points out a clump of Kai’s hair that sticks up, stiff and pointy with juice on the back of his head, and the prince shudders and turns to Yeonjun, who’s already changed his shirt to borrow one Soobin had in his bag and is playing with little blades of grass on the side.

“Hyung, could you go get my pack for me?” Kai shakes water from his hair, “It has some things…”

Yeonjun nods, standing eagerly and heading back through the trees to the area they left their bags in practically skipping.

The voices of the other four are drowned out by the river’s flow by the time he reaches the bags, bending over and picking up Kai’s by one of the straps, causing something white-brown to slip out the other side.

He puts the bag back down and walks around curiously, picking up the small rectangular bar. The texture and light perfumed scent―his nose identifies it as chocolate―lead him to conclude it’s soap. The bar sits tantalizingly in his hand, and he brings it up to his nose and inhales deeply, taking in the delicious and concentrated scent of the oils and extracts inside.

He licks his lips.

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───  
  


Kai frowns as he looks up, Yeonjun still nowhere in sight.

He turns to Soobin, “Hasn’t it been a bit long since Yeonjun-hyung left? He should be back by now…”

“Maybe he found something over there? You can go find him, if you’d like,” the elf says good-naturedly, wringing out his shirt over the water. Kai scrunches his nose, standing and pushing his hair out of his eyes and walks off into the forest.

When he steps into the small pseudo-clearing he’s brought to even more confusion by seeing Yeonjun sitting down beside all the bags, patting his tummy contentedly and licking his lips and teeth as if pulling residue from them. 

Surprisingly the food bag itself is still closed tight, which confounds him even more. It also worries him immensely, but he hopes the implications are just his imagination.

“Hyung? You didn’t come back…” the changeling looks up at Kai’s voice, tilting his head and giving him a lopsided, apologetic smile. Kai moves to look into his pack, of which the flap sits slightly askew. He digs through it for the object he’d needed―the little bar of soap Taehyun had had.

It’s nowhere to be found. Kai grunts, shifting back, “Yeonjun-hyung, did you see the soap? It was white, chocolate scented?”

“Chocolate flavoured too. Good surprise!”

Kai freezes.

“Hyung, what do you mean?” he says nervously. The chill of exasperated dread drips down his spine like an ice cube thrown into his shirt.

“The soap was chocolate flavored  _ and  _ scented,” Yeonjun explains, none the wiser to his turmoil. 

“Hyung, do you mean to say,” he says, feeling faint, “that you  _ ate the soap?” _

Yeonjun tilts his head, "Yes?"

Kai screams.

" **_HYUNGS! HE'S GONNA DIE! YEONJUN-HYUNG ATE SOAP HE'S GONNA DIE!”_ **

Soobin arrives with Beomgyu roughly a minute later while Kai frets over the eldest, Taehyun waddling in and flopping to the ground with a wheeze not much later. The elf looks incredibly frazzled, with leaves and scrapes on his skin and twigs in his hair.

"What do you  _ mean _ he's gonna die?" Soobin demands as Beomgyu flutters to stand on Yeonjun's shoulder, patting his face questioningly. "Kai, I swear if this is a joke-"

"He ate the soap in my bag!" Kai cries, "I-You're not  _ supposed  _ to eat  _ soap! _ It's not FOOD! We don't know if it has something toxic or not!"

Taehyun wheedles out some air into what almost could constitute as a "Technically" but decidedly gives up and continues his attempts to regain his breath. Beomgyu is whispering avidly at Yeonjun, but the changeling looks nervous and keeps shaking his head insistently.

"What do we do? Do we do the Heimlich? He's not choking, is there a move to make him throw up? I don't think it's safe to hit him like last time, I don't have any spells that do that-" Soobin lists all the possibilities as Kai grabs his own hair, both boys practically in hysterics. 

“Um, guys?” Yeonjun pipes up.

“Maybe we should turn him upside down?!”

“No no no, he could choke, maybe we-”

“Guys?”

“Taehyun-hyung!? Do you have any-”

“GUYS!” Yeonjun yells, fists gripping the grass beneath his palms as they all turn to look at him, “I-I’m fine.”

“What do you mean you’re fine!? Doesn’t your belly hurt!?” Kai practically screams as he drops to his knees next to the elder and places a tender hand on his belly.

“N-No, I-It doesn’t.” He gulps as he looks to his side at Beomgyu, Beomgyu knows, just not how it works.

He knows what they’re gonna ask next.

“What do you mean it doesn’t!? How!? Why!?” Soobin yells as he paces the small clearing, from where Yeonjun is sitting he can see the younger’s hands shaking. He didn’t mean to worry them, it seemed like he was always worrying them or causing some sort of trouble.

All because he was weird.

“Hello!?” The elf calls, startling him out of his thoughts.

“I-I’m cursed.” Yeonjun admits softly, voice shaky and inaudible, even for Soobin.

“Huh?”

“I-I’m cursed!” He repeats louder this time, almost as if he has to force the words from his mouth, fear grabbing them and pulling the words back down deep inside where he had been hiding them. He wraps his arms around his stomach as it churns, it’s definitely not from the soap, he had eaten it a thousand times.

“You’re cursed?” Kai repeats, he wasn’t sure if he misheard or didn’t hear it at all.

“Yes, I’m cursed, t-to always be hungry.” The changeling admits, “When I was younger and started figuring out how my curse worked, I ate soap, I-I was really hungry and it didn’t taste too bad. I actually kind of liked it…”

Nobody interrupts him, they let him finish. Just from his body language and the way his fingers are digging into the ground, they can tell it’s painful for him to rip this memory from the depths of his mind.

“I started figuring out what other things I could eat a-and I figured out I could eat almost anything, I-I stopped going to sleep hungry and that’s all that mattered to me.” Yeonjun whimpers, bottom lip quivering as he holds back his tears, “So yeah, I eat fabric and soap and leather and all kinds of random stuff I find around, being with you guys has actually made me eat real food for once. But, as long as my stomach isn’t empty I don’t care really, whatever stops the nightmares.”

“The night-”

Before Soobin can get the words off the tip of his tongue Beomgyu waved him off,

“DON’T ASK-” He mouths and Soobin nods before going to get down on his knees next to Yeonjun.

“So… you can eat everything?” He asks softly, placing a tender hand on the shoulder Beomgyu wasn’t standing on.

“So far, yeah, I don’t like tree bark and leaves though.” Yeonjun says, face twisting like a toddler who had just been served broccoli.

“Could you eat a rock?” Taehyun asks, suddenly getting the ability to breathe back.

“Yeah, I mean as long as I can get it down it's fair game I guess.”

“That’s SO cool Hyung!” Kai declares and Yeonjun quirks an eyebrow.

“What? Did you think it was weird or something?” The young prince asks as he stands, assisting Yeonjun up from the ground.

“Yeah, maybe a little, you guys can’t do it so I thought-”

“We can’t fly but that doesn’t make Beomgyu weird, does it?” Soobin asks, tilting his head towards Yeonjun in question.

“No, but-”

“Nobody can grow plants from the ground but me, that doesn’t make me weird, does it?”

“No.”

“We’re all weirdos so don’t hide what makes you different, okay?” Soobin smiles and Yeonjun nods, cheeks flushing red, “Your differences make you special.”

Taehyun claps, wiping fake tears from his face, “That was really inspirational.”

“Shut up Hyun.” Kai chuckles teasingly as he nudges the elder prince and smiles as he links to him, “Do you think we should get moving Soobin-hyung?”

“Yeah, as long as everyone is ready I am.” Soobin smiles as he looks over at Yeonjun, the creature nods before walking up to him, weak smile on his face like a conformation.

“Okay, let’s keep it moving then. I don’t think Taehyun is actually saved until we get him back to the castle.” Soobin shrugs.

“Don’t ask me, I’ve never saved a prince before.” Kai shrugs as he walks slightly behind the elf with Taehyun linked to his arm.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

They continue walking until the sunlight begins to decay, putting Beomgyu on Soobin’s shoulder to avoid him collapsing. They have to take a few more stops during the afternoon due to Taehyun getting tired, as he hadn’t walked further than ten feet at the pace they go at in four years. The whole while Taehyun tries to slip Yeonjun several little trinkets and stones, urging him to eat them, but Soobin stops him as the changeling grows inexplicably more uncomfortable at the pressure.

Even after the night crawls in they keep walking, and walking, on and on through the woods until finally Soobin stops in the middle of a grassy space and drops all of his bags, "We're stopping here for the night."

Immediately Kai and Taehyun sit, having drifted apart a bit more but still within touching distance of each other, groaning and rubbing at their legs. Beomgyu snickers loudly, well-rested from sitting on their shoulders all day, while Yeonjun just drops into a squat.

Soobin grabs a blanket and extends it over the grass, patting it and sitting in the center with his legs extended out of the edges.

“You’re going to sleep now?” Kai asks, pulling his knees up to his chest with a curious tone. Soobin nods, taking off his shoes and using one of his shirts as a pillow. Beomgyu flies from his shoulder to sit on Yeonjun’s head, and the moment his light stops falling on Soobin they hear his breathing lengthen into a deep sleep.

“His physiology is certainly interesting,” Taehyun notes, crawling in Soobin’s direction before Kai grabs him, “I wonder how-”

“If you want to know how he works just  _ ask _ , Hyun,” Kai says, exasperated, “There’s no need to run any tests on him to get answers, y’know?”

Yeonjun makes a soft noise at that, but it goes unnoticed by them all as Taehyun turns to face Kai, tugging his legs to sit comfortably on the sides of his legs.

“I meant to askㅡWhere’d the nickname come from? Just on a whim?” Taehyun teases, belied by the questioning interest in his eyes.

Kai’s face reddens, and he hooks a finger around the collar of his shirt to cool himself off as he answers, “It’s a habitㅡmy younger sister likes giving people nicknames when she meets them, and I kind of- took to it. I usually can stop myself from using them though, does it make you uncomfortable?”

“Not at all,” he denies, “Just curious. You have a sister?”

“Two, actually. I also have a brotherㅡHe’s married to your sister now, so I don’t see him as often.”

“M-My sister got married?” Taehyun stutters out softly and he looks like he’s about to vomit. He doesn’t want to accept that he’s been gone long enough for his sister to fall in love and get married.

“Yeah, the wedding was really pretty, the pictures they painted are really good. They hung them all over the palace, you’ll see them when we get back.” Kai smiles, placing his hand atop the elder’s.

“I have a brother too!” Beomgyu pipes up tinily, leaning on Yeonjun’s antler, “No sistersㅡJust cousins.”

“I don’t have siblings,” Yeonjun whispers quietly, joining in on the conversation, “What’s it like?”

The air becomes a little uncomfortable, but it’s quickly broken as Beomgyu complains loudly, “It’s awful! All the little ones do is take my food and get in troubleㅡAnd Daehyun is so  _ serious _ ! He never laughs at my jokes! I mean, how is an alligator in a vest being an investi _ gator _ not funny!? Such a local, tee-bee-aych.”

Yeonjun smiles weakly, and Kai clues in and starts up himself.

“My sisters keep taking my plushies!” he moans, “I swear that they wanna break them or something! They’re the  _ worst _ . I only borrowed their make-up sets once that they know of, but it’s like they have a radar for when I do anything.”

“My sister…” Taehyun tries, “...tickled me a lot?”

The three others stare at him. He puts his hands up.

“I haven’t seen her in a while, leave it be! I don’t remember most of what we did together at this point, I don’t know what’s a dream and what’s an actual memory. I lost track of days a long time ago.”

The atmosphere is suffocated again by the reality of Taehyun’s situation. 

“You can make new memories now, right?” Kai says nervously, “For the time being I can tell you about what I do with my sisters, so you get ideas on what to do?”

There’s a couple moments of tense silence before Taehyun gives a small smile, shifting to sit criss-cross applesauce rather than the turned stance of before.

“I’d like that,” he says, putting his chin on his palms.

Beomgyu flutters down to sit on Yeonjun’s knee as Kai begins to speak, recounting tales of escapades with his siblings until eventually the changeling falls back into a dead sleep, too tired to stay awake. At that point the fairy opts to sleep too, nestling himself on top of Yeonjun’s soft belly with a little handkerchief as a blanket as his light fades out into sleep.

“Does he always drool that much in his sleep?” Taehyun points out as he looks over at Yeonjun who’s licking his lips. The changeling shifts a bit, smacking his lips and rubbing the side of his belly.

“Awww, he’s kinda cute, maybe he’s dreaming about eating something yummy.” Kai coos endearingly at the elder.

The changeling seems to unconsciously grab Beomgyu, and Taehyun quirks an eyebrow as Yeonjun dangles the fairy over his mouth. Kai gasps, catching the sleeping fairy as Yeonjun releases, the changeling whimpers at the lack of something to eat in his mouth. Taehyun snorts as the youngest bemoans while shoving a shirt of his into Yeonjun’s mouth. The changeling chews it contentedly, leaving Beomgyu alone for now.

Kai carries the fairy over to Soobin for protection, the giant elf had been asleep for awhile now. Regardless, he unconsciously wraps his large hands around Beomgyu’s delicate body and pulls him close to his chest, the growing smile on his face creates dimples on his cheeks. Kai nods now that his mission is accomplished, he hopes Yeonjun won’t try to eat the fairy from Soobin’s hands.

“Nobody has to know what transpired here tonight.” Kai sighs as he drops back down next to Taehyun.

“Can you imagine what would’ve happened if you didn’t catch him?” Taehyun gapes as he looks at Yeonjun at the corner of the camp sleeping alone.

Kai sighs as he lays down, “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

“You guys keep mentioning that but unfortunately I wasn't there when this happened, please enlighten me.” Taehyun smirks and Kai giggles.

Taehyun and Kai talk into midnight, trading little whispers with noses so close they’re almost touching. Sharing memories and stories, new and old, as their speeches slur with tiredness until they decide to turn in for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: Notes about the languages! Surprise surprise, they're not just random words djhkfjsdh They actually mean stuff! You can read the translations for past chapters in notes that have been placed there, but for now:
> 
> _Tewti _:Wow__
> 
> __lmao_ _


	13. The Frog Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I have a bad feeling about this...” Yeonjun murmurs inaudiably, just barely breathing the words past his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> S: HI IM SORRY WE’RE LATE WE BOTH GOT KINDA CAUGHT UP YESTERDAY AND I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO POST AND IT WAS A DISASTER-
> 
> But we’re back and on schedule, we will still post on Wednesday...
> 
> Please enjoy and don’t forget to comment uwu

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┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ˚✩ ⋆｡˚ ✩

┊ ┊ ┊ ✫

┊ ┊ ☪︎⋆

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✯ ⋆ ┊ . ˚

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“ _Now she had a golden ball in her hand, which washer favourite plaything; and she was always tossing it up into the air, and catching it again as it fell. After a time she threw it up so high that she missed catching it as it fell; and the ball bounded away, and rolled along upon the ground, till at last it fell down into the spring. The princess looked into the spring after her ball, but it was very deep, so deep that she could not see the bottom of it_.”

-The Frog Prince, _Grimm’s Fairy Tales_

* * *

Surprisingly the first person to wake up is not Soobin, but Yeonjun, who startles himself awake half an hour before sunrise feeling the fall cold seep through his clothes. Scraps of fabric cling to his cheeks as he looks around in bleary-eyed confusion, patting his stomach and surroundings subconsciously. There is no warmth near him, and he almost succumbs to a panic before his sleep watered eyes land on Beomgyu cradled gently against Soobin’s chest.

Far, far away.

An ugly feeling rears its head behind his sternum, a mix of longing and resignation that chills him much more than the breeze of the season. He tries to shake it off, but it clings resiliently under his skin.

_Better like that_ , he tells himself, and resolutely stands, grabbing a piece of jerky and a shoelace from Taehyun’s loose shoe to snack on bitterly as he waits for the rest of them to wake up.

They all wake up without much fanfare, Soobin rising and spooking himself with Beomgyu. Taehyun goes to put on his shoes properly but falters at the sight of his missing shoelace, looking around incredulously.

Yeonjun throws the metal aglets at the boy’s feet, causing him to jump back and look at him in shock.

“Didn’t you want me to eat something _strange_? I did it for you!” Yeonjun says, smiling mischievously, but with a dangerous and sharp undertone unrecognizable to anyone but him made evident by a flicker of red in his eyes. Taehyun coughs out an awkward laugh, inching away from the changeling and grabbing a spare shoelace from his pack.

He doesn’t offer him rocks again.

The air buzzes with anxious electricity after they get ready. Kai, Soobin, and Beomgyu share nervous looks that confuse the two others but only choose to question once the sun begins moving in a much higher arc across the sky. The Baobab’s shadow looms over them then, so close they start to head more to the east to be able to dodge it where the decaying purple-leaved top meets the ground.

“What’s the problem?” asks Taehyun, pulling on Kai’s sleeve with a deep furrow between his brows. “We’re just avoiding the tree, is there something to worry about?”

The three boys give each other another secretive look, almost arguing silently.

“It’s just a landmark,” Beomgyu says after some deliberation, “But it maybe...could end our journey a bit early.”

“Oh, really? Then why so nervous? A shortcut like that is great news!”

“He doesn’t mean it in that way,” Kai grimaces, “It’s in the ‘Could kill us if we’re not careful way’.”

“ _What!?_ ” Taehyun exclaims. 

Yeonjun stumbles, eyes rounding out, "We're headed somewhere like _that?_ Isn't there some way to avoid it? _"_

"We wouldn't even see it in the first place if the Baobab wasn't there," Soobin explains, "It's the Cadere Ravine, made by the Sîr River heading to the sea. By itself it’s pretty if you see it from afar. The problem is the ground around the edges of the cliff is unusually loose and thin, which isn't fun and way more dangerous than I'd like."

“The carriage of my Dad’s cousin Chulmoo fell off the edge because the weight set off the earth,” Kai says somberly, “It would’ve started a diplomatic incident if the soldiers behind it hadn’t been far enough to survive. It happened a few months before I was born.”

“That’s...it?” Taehyun says. Everyone stops, staring at him with similarly incredulously horrified looks as he rushes to explain himself, “No-I mean-Yeonjun-ssi is fast and strong enough to jump back, Soobin-ssi can use plants to pull himself up, Beomgyu-ssi can _fly!_ And I have magic, which is _more_ than enough to keep us safe and then some.”

“I have a bad feeling about this...” Yeonjun murmurs inaudiably, just barely breathing the words past his lips.

They walk closer and closer to the east in silence, only occasionally sparking conversation until they walk so close to the tree that the sun is almost fully hidden behind it, casting a shadow that makes the air cold and unwelcoming. At that point they walk practically parallel to it, tracing the gradient in the leaves until the treetop’s thick foliage is in their faces. The smaller and more normal trees recede rapidly along with the underbrush, leaving thin, almost dust-like soil that sinks unnaturally under their feet.

The Ravine appears in their view fairly quickly, the steep and narrow precipice a white line across the landscape without any woods to keep the ground solid and together across the sides. The top of the Baobab creates a thin strip of land only a few feet wide by the edge of the chasm, enough for three of them to walk uncomfortably across without too much difficulty. Yet they still hesitate, pausing at the clear line of sight to the edge of the Ravine and the cacophonous rushing of water deep, deep down inside it.

“Looks like it’d be cutting it a bit close,” Yeonjun says dryly, tone betrayed by the hand he raises to his lips to wrap his teeth anxiously around a hangnail on his index finger. Beomgyu flutters over that hand then, putting practically his whole body weight onto his wrist in order to separate it from his mouth and give it a little hug.

Taehyun cocks his hip confidently, “We’ll do fine. Let’s just go through.”

_I’m still not sure about this,_ Yeonjun swallows the words down into his stomach, causing it to clench painfully from the anxiety and stress, and follows after Kai, Taehyun and Soobin, who walk in line in that order slowly across the threshold into the stretch of narrow land. 

The sawdust-like earth shifts beneath them, moving and messing with their balance with every few steps they take, but manageable enough. They make it past the first part of the land as slowly and as carefully as they can, Soobin practically shoved against the tree with how much Kai recoils into the strip. By the time they reach the middle it almost feels like they’re grown accustomed to the odd ground, walking on it gently as if it were sand rather than dirt.

Behind the trio Yeonjun is as far away from the edge as he can manage, eyeing it warily though his feet have not lost their nimble stride even on the uneven path. Every so often their trek sends some dusty earth flying off the cliff, carrying with it rocks and the odd plant like it’s water. Each time it happens the changeling jumps back, scooting away from the edge as a small divot carves in the space where the dust goes missing.

A strong breeze blows past them when they hit two thirds of the way through, blowing dirt into their eyes and causing Kai to lean dangerously to the left. Taehyun reaches for him before stopping when the boy regains his balance, standing with his arm out and his lips in a sheepish ‘o’ shape as he carefully puts his foot down.

They smile nervously at each other. Taehyun opens his mouth to speak before the ground under Kai’s feet practically melts away.

Taehyun dives forward, arms outstretched to reach for Kai’s hand as the younger scrabbles and struggles to stay above the edge, massive drip of dust dragging him down like an hourglass that’s on its last few seconds of sand. 

The elder prince reaches, their fingers brush just barely against one another, just enough to give him hope as sparks of magic flare and burst all over his body. A large one explodes near his thumb, causing Kai’s hand to flinch backwards reflexively, and something in his stomach drops as static explodes in his ears while he watches Kai plummet down, down, down―

A blood curdling cry rips from Taehyun’s throat, “ _KAI_ ! _NO_!”

He’s pulled back into reality when Yeonjun forcefully hefts him back with a loud growl, a long set of vines lunging over the edge of the cliff and wrapping around Kai’s arm and torso, tugging him back to the ground and sending him skidding over to the safety of the end of the stretch. 

Soobin and Yeonjun pull the near-catatonic Taehyun the remainder of the way as fast as possible, the prince’s hands flickering and cycling rapidly through various sets of colours before flashing a bright white light that vanishes abruptly as they crash down away from the border and onto mostly solid ground.

The whole strip of land they’d walked on gives way and slides into the Ravine, creating a large, wide hole in the scenery of the Ravine’s precipice that sends a dusty cloud into the air that doesn’t settle for a long time.

Kai, trembling and shivering with shock and adrenaline, crawls back and as far from the edge as he can after recovering the ability to move, fingers of one hand digging into the ground as he turns over and retches to the side out of nothing but sheer terror. His face is pale and his hands shake violently as Beomgyu lands on his back, rubbing it lightly while the rest recover from their own disbelieving stupors.

“Breathe, it’s okay, we got ya,” Soobin coos as he crawls over and places a tender hand on Kai’s shoulder as he hyperventilates.

“I-I almost died,” Kai chokes out between breaths and Soobin takes his hand, minuscule compared to his own as he rubs his thumbs across Kai’s knuckles.

“But you didn’t, you’re okay.”

“I-I almost killed him.” Taehyun mumbles to himself from the edge of the clearing.

“NOBODY LISTENS TO ME!” Yeonjun frustratedly growls as he storms off, punching a tree as he disappears among the foliage, cracking under his rage and falling over with a crash. The changeling doesn’t even flinch, and Beomgyu sees light reflect off a single dangling earring he's wearing before he vanishes.

He tries to think back on whether Yeonjun has been wearing it all along, to have gone unnoticed for so long, before giving up. There’s a lot he doesn’t know about Yeonjun.

Even though he’d like to.

“He’s clearly pissed off, but he has a right to be.” Beomgyu shrugs and Soobin nods in understanding.

“Should we let him cool off or should one of us go keep an eye on him? I think Taehyun is a bit out of it right now.” The elf suggests as he looks over at the elder prince in the grass, sitting on his knees and staring into the distance. 

Taehyun’s eyes are glossy, and his fingers twitch every few seconds as if grabbing something that slips from his fingers. Indiscernible foreign murmurs drop from his lips, but they give a sensation of something wrong and _empty_ as they drip like a thick, cloying syrup into the air.

“Yeonjun can take care of himself,” Beomgyu says dubiously, eyeing Taehyun with a twist in the side of his mouth, “These guys are a bit fragile right now. He’ll come back when he’s less angry.”

Soobin nods, shoving his chin at Taehyun as he brushes Kai’s hair from his sweaty cheeks. Beomgyu flies over to stand in front of Taehyun while Soobin pulls out a flask of water from his pack and hands it to Kai, who grabs it and gulps a mouthful down before clutching his middle as a cramp wracks his empty stomach.

“Easy there! Small sips,” Soobin soothes, running his hands the the younger’s hair as Beomgyu tilts his head at the unresponsive Taehyun.

“Taehyun-ah? You didn’t get hurt, did you?” he says worriedly, “Tae-”

“ _E lay ma blel nahl asith ma atha―”_ the strange tongue gets louder with Beomgyu’s voice, clamoring with need for _something_ , _“Dayn ma atha, dayn sisi a vaorah um rusati pli lay natal-”_

“Is that-” 

“He’s studied the Arcane Tongue,” Soobin breathes, frowning, “It’s-Off, something’s not right-”

“ _Uthow ma, atha! Yao mul i zyz!? A bralnao thli lay a tuhl ven ma! A_ **_bralnao_ ** _e!_ ” Taehyun’s voice gets more and more desperate with each vacant, lilting syllable, calling Kai’s attention from where he’s curled in on himself. 

Kai tries to crawl towards him, but Soobin pulls him into his lap, “Let me-He-”

“We don’t know what’s happening to him, and you’re in no position to try anything, calm down!” Soobin says, putting his arms around the youngest as Beomgyu flutters in front of Taehyun’s face, hesitantly waving a hand in front of his eyes.

“TAEHYUN-AH!” the fairy yells once, and Taehyun’s eyes snap to him with a semblance of clarity, “What’s wrong? What are you saying?”

“ _E lay―_ It’s―gone!” Taehyun cries, choking on the words as if they were forcing themselves out of him, “Gone, gone, gone and I don’t―can’t get it back I don’t know how, I’m calling for it and there’s _nothing_ ―”

“What’s gone? Taehyun-ah, what is it?”

“It’s―Me!” he says brokenly, “I’m gone, my magic―My magic’s _gone!”_

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Yeonjun comes back to them a few minutes later, face impassive and hands matted with dirt and scrapes, nails bitten down to nubs. Soobin tries to ask him where he went, but Yeonjun just gives him a tight smile and an “Around,” as an answer.

Beomgyu’s eyes lock onto the long earring he sees more clearly now, taking in the green gem hanging at the bottom with an elegant, feminine turn. He risks a glance at Yeonjun’s opposite ear, noticing a lack of a matching pair. The earring is slightly charred, the color offset by a burnt shade on top of it.

  
That alone is enough for Beomgyu's heart to squeeze knowingly. Painfully so.

Taehyun goes quiet after his admission, shoulders hunched and arms pressed against his own body, eyes dark. There’s a metaphorical wall around him that prevents their approach, but despite his silence he stands and begins stumbling towards the south. All the while he occasionally puts up his hands, opening and closing and opening them with a deep frown etched into his face.

Kai is the only one who walks in line with Taehyun, a little over three feet away and constantly sneaking glances at the elder while the sun slides west overhead. 

“Hyun?” he says at last, “Are you...okay?”

He thinks Taehyun isn’t going to answer, from how long the boy stays silent, but just as he’s about to ask again Taehyun speaks.

“It was all I had,” he mutters, only just above a whisper, “I gave up _everything_ for it...And it’s gone. Just like that.”

Kai isn’t sure how to respond to that, but Taehyun continues, “My friends...my family…my _throne_ ...All left behind for nothing, just because I had something to _prove_.”

“Do you know how to get it back?”

“I don’t even know what made it _leave_ in the first place,” Taehyun spits, "It worked fine up until I tried to save you-It started sparking weird instead of doing what I asked, and then-Then the sparks almost _killed_ you."

"That's not-I just got surprised by them! It's not like you _pushed_ me," Kai says, turning to the others, "Right? That's not how that works!"

"Oh-Uh, right! Taehyun-ah, you of all people should know how unpredictable magic can be! You were trying to help him," Soobin smiles shakily, tripping a little from the surprise of being called to speak.

Taehyun is unconvinced, “I thought I could control it better! You went through trusting me and I-”

“You didn’t know it was gonna happen,” it’s Yeonjun who interrupts him, startling them all into silence, “I took a bit to think, and I remembered what you said. It was dangerous, but we really had no way to avoid it and there was a lot we didn’t know…”

The changeling gets softer and softer the more he speaks, shrinking under the attention, “You had a thing you thought could keep you safe. You didn’t know it was going to fail, you didn’t know Kai-yah was going to fall and―I had a feeling something bad would happen, but I was in a bad mood and I didn’t say as much as I should have. That way…”

“If it were anyone’s fault,” Yeonjun swallows, “It’d be mine. We just―had too little to go on. So don’t go thinking about it too hard, okay? We’ll help you find the magic you lost.”

“Yeonjun-ssi...” Taehyun breathes. Yeonjun shakes his head as Soobin wraps an arm around his shoulders, the elf holding back a larger smile in favor of a small, comforting one.

“I-I got angry, a-and I got annoyed at you because something else was bothering me. I’m sorry. Call me Hyung, Taehyun-ah?” Yeonjun nibbles at the side of his thumb while giving his apology, eyes downcast, and his teeth slip and draw blood down the side of his finger. Taehyun steps forward of his own accord and lightly grabs his wrist, sending him a pleading look when the older flinches back. The changeling relaxes only minutely, and they all watch in confusion as Taehyun inspects the injury with meticulous care.

“ _Nahl―Nahl voir éneer-nyt,_ ” he stutters after some time, and his eyes light up with relief when an orange glow, though weak and failing, splutters to life to cover the hand between his fingertips. Kai gasps, clapping excitedly.

Taehyun nods to himself, attempting to gain some self assurance, “ _Val me yayn éveer.”_

Yeonjun sighs lightly as warm orange light drips from Taehyun’s fingers and onto his cut, closing it around the edges until the only trace it was there is the small drying streak of blood that runs down to his palm.

“How did you get it to…” Beomgyu says, fluttering to rub away the blood and patting at the place where the cut used to be in wonder.

“I-I got a feeling it’d work but I didn’t know,” Taehyun admits, “I think I’m going to have to use it carefully the rest of the day, since it still feels a little weak.”

Soobin wraps Taehyun in a hug, spinning him around and putting him down when the boy gets dizzy. Taehyun gasps for breath as Kai lays a hand on the back of his neck, playing with the ends of his hair while scolding Soobin with a pout in his face.

They resume walking after Yeonjun stops giggling at their antics, Taehyun once again linked on Kai’s arm and their strides in line.

No one notices Kai’s other hand twitching slightly, moving with the force of using his thumb to pick at the sides of his cuticles. No one notices him space out while others are talking, nor his frowns and repeated blinking and his failure to focus on parts of the conversation. He masks all of this, files it away to think about later and to deal with the unwanted thoughts on his own.

It’s harmless, right?

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

By the time most of the tension had dissipated the sun was setting, Yeonjun was getting hungry, and Taehyun said that they would have to take him to the castle dead if they didn’t stop now.

So they did.

Kai rested his chin on Taehyun’s shoulder and closed his eyes once they sat down, the rest of his tall lanky body was tucked into the elder’s small side. The elder prince nuzzled him tenderly before taking snacks from his pack and distributing them accordingly as Soobin set up the fire.

The boy noticed Yeonjun resting outside of the main part of their little camp and quirked an eyebrow. He watched as the changeling stared at Soobin and Beomgyu playfully arguing over who could light the fire faster, noting how tense the creature was and how he turned around after a certain point.

Taehyun tossed a bag of candies at his side and smiled as Yeonjun made eye contact with him. He tentatively reached for the sweet treats and Taehyun watched as a small smile grew on his face as he filled his cheeks with the chocolates.

“I have the power of light on my side!”

“I have the power of elves on my side!”

“I have the power of god and anime on my side!”

“What?!”

“What do you mean what-“

“I have the power of I’m honestly too tired to have this conversation on my side,” Taehyun quipped as he lit the fire in an instant. Bright, roaring, and powerful. So much so that it even startled Yeonjun on the outskirts of their camp. Kai smirked as he ate a pretzel from Taehyun’s hand, he was so effortlessly powerful. 

Both Soobin and Beomgyu’s jaws dropped in awe of the small boy’s immense power.

“How did you do that!?” Soobin gapes as Beomgyu suddenly notices Yeonjun staring at them. He tilts his head before flying over and Yeonjun panics, almost choking on the chocolates stuffed into his cheeks as Beomgyu lands on his knee.

“I’ve been saving up my magic the whole day,” Taehyun deadpans, “Plus, Fire is a secondary affinity of mine. Spells with it are easier than the rest.”

“Interesting. I would have pegged you more with water! I can’t really speak much on affinities though, considering I’m a variant,” Soobin says sheepishly, growing a small poppy by his foot. Taehyun gasps slightly, eyes sparkling as he looks at the perfect flower grown in seconds.

“Elves use mostly Rituals and healing spells, right? Can you still do those as a variant?” 

“Well, since Rituals are made with components my magic is enough to do all but the most complex ones. As far as healing goes…”

The two get wrapped up in discussing the logistics of their respective learnt magics, doing small scale demonstrations of certain spells and teaching each other what they can.

The entire conversation goes over Kai’s head as he just sits there, continuing to eat pretzels from Taehyun’s tiny hands contently.

“Hey?” Beomgyu starts as he lands on Yeonjun’s knee, “You okay over here all alone? Usually you’re all over Soobin.”

Oh no, is it really that obvious?

“He’s busy, I-I don’t wanna bother him.” He excuses as he shoves another small handful of chocolates into his cheeks.

“Don’t eat too fast, I don’t want you to get sick.” Beomgyu tries, flitting down and landing in front of Yeonjun’s face, he notes the lack of eye contact as he replies.

“I’ve never had that problem, don’t worry about it.” The changeling replies, quick and short. Now Beomgyu’s really worried, Yeonjun usually is much brighter than this…

“A-Are you sure?” The fairy starts, pausing before sighing to himself, “A-Are you okay? You seem kinda aggro…”

“What!?”

“What do you mean what- ugh, you seem irritated.”

“Irritated? Of what?” Yeonjun awkwardly chuckles as he sticks his hand back into the bag and wincing when he realizes there’s no more chocolates.

“I don’t know, you just seem, out of it. You usually have more of a sparkle in your eye and a bright chubby cheeked smile.”

Yeonjun subconsciously puts a hand to his cheek as it turns pink beneath his palm.

_No. Don’t let yourself get hurt again. Protect yourself._

“You don’t know me.”

The air is tenses at his words. Beomgyu steps back.

“Am I allowed to know you? I would like to know you, Hyung.”

_He wants to know me?_

“Gyu-yah! Come look! Now I can do light like you!” Soobin calls, giggling as both Yeonjun and Beomgyu turn to look. Taehyun smirks as he puts the fire out in an instant, just as fast as he had lit it and Beomgyu flinches at the sudden darkness.

“Soobin-hyung? I can’t see-”

Suddenly Soobin is glowing. Soft, pretty, and warm as he does, filling up the darkness both figuratively and literally.

Yeonjun can’t help but smile at the sight, without the light Soobin was a source of illumination in his dark world, now he was lighting up the outside too. He’s mesmerized as he listens to Taehyun and Kai cheer for him and listens as Soobin’s adorkable laughter fills the air, he sounds like a baby mountain goat getting tickled to death but he loves it regardless.

For a second he forgets about his self deprecating thoughts.

That is, until he sees Beomgyu landing on Soobin’s shoulder, glowing just as bright as he is.

They glow happily. Together.

The changeling hears an 'awww' from Kai and suddenly, despite all the warmth and light surrounding him, he feels cold.

Taehyun lights the fire again as he complains about Kai shivering and Yeonjun quickly turns back around as he sniffs.

_I’m fine, this is fine,_ he tells himself.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

After a while Soobin and Beomgyu’s giggles die down and they finally head to bed, Beomgyu falling asleep cupped in his large warm hands. Taehyun is next as he falls asleep in Kai’s arms to the feeling of the younger playing in his hair, he had told Kai not to be shy, he liked his touch. That statement made Kai extremely happy considering how touchy he was, he always asked to touch before he did, but the ease of the whole situation made it much more enjoyable. No need for stuttered questions or flustered answers, just trust.

Honestly, Taehyun couldn’t believe he was outside of that god forsaken tower. He remembered the lonely nights of thinking he’d never see another human being ever again. The nights he wondered if it was really worth it, the nights he wondered if he should’ve just given in, the nights he wondered if he made the right decision. He wondered what kept him strong during those four, going on five years. Was it pure determination to prove them wrong? Was it his father’s stubborn DNA? Was it pure unbridled hope that they would forgive him and come get him?

He didn’t know and honestly didn’t care to, he was here now, out here now with Kai.

That was ALL that mattered to him.

Eventually Kai closes his eyes as well, exhaustion of the day’s events hitting him all at once as the memories flash through his mind. He whimpers and pulls Taehyun closer, the elder rolls over and wraps a small arm around Kai’s waist and the younger rests his chin atop his head, closing his eyes and breathing in the warm and familiar scent of cinnamon apples.

  
  


_Kai’s heart jumps up his throat and drops down to his stomach as he loses his footing and the ground crumbles beneath him. He goes to scream for Taehyun but nothing comes out as Taehyun kicks him in the chest, smug smile on his face as a gold crown glitters on his head, sending him cascading off the cliff. Suddenly time seems to slow drastically as he falls past Soobin, he chokes as he attempts to call for the elf._

_“Pathetic,” The elf snarls in a voice that’s not his own and Kai gasps for air as Soobin sends a log into his chest, he flips through the air as time goes back to normal._

_Clearly only for a moment as he passes Yeonjun in slow motion. The changeling’s usual warm appearance is suddenly ice cold despite the burning red in his eyes and Kai suddenly wishes he wasn’t flying towards him at full speed. Yeonjun grabs him by the collar of his shirt and Kai winces as the elder pulls him close to his face._

_“Weak,” He growls, low and rumbling before throwing Kai from his ledge. Once again time is back to normal, at least he thinks it is, at this point he doesn’t even know what normal is. He just wants this nightmare to be over, at this point he knows this is a dream. It’s just a matter of waking up._

_Beomgyu lands on his chest and takes a seat, as if they weren’t heading towards the ground at hundreds of miles per hour._

_“Foolish.” He smirks as his hands light up and he blasts Kai in the chest, sending him into the ground at the speed of light._

Kai snaps awake in the middle of the clearing, gasping and wheezing as he tries to catch his breath.

“Hyun!?” He calls when he realizes the elder boy isn’t next to him.

That’s when he realizes…nobody is.

“H-Hello!?”

There’s no response as he stands, the last thing he wants right now is to be alone.

“Hyungs! P-Please come out!” He sniffs, he hopes they really didn’t take Taehyun back to the castle without him.

“Kai!” Taehyun calls and Kai gasps before turning on his heels and running as fast as his long baby deer legs can take him.

“Kai help! They’re trying-”

Taehyun is cut off before he can finish and Kai runs even faster now.

He sees the elder boy in a clearing, feet in cement as castle guards build a cylindrical wall around his small form, as he struggles to free himself.

“Hyun!? I-I’m coming!” 

Kai unsheathed his sword as he starts towards the guards who pay him no attention, perfect for the element of surprise. But, for a moment it seems as if they have the upper hand when a large black form comes from behind a tree and takes _him_ by surprise. The sky goes dark as the figure cackles, lightning strikes, illuminating its face.

The King.

“You really thought you could save him, huh?” The King scoffs, walking over to the boy and grabbing his collar before he slams him into a tree, knocking the air from his lungs. His face flashes from Soobin to Yeonjun to Beomgyu and back to his own before he speaks again.

“You pathetic, weak, and foolish child!” He snarls as the lightning strikes again.

“KAI! PLEASE!” Taehyun screams one last time before he’s muffled with a cinderblock.

  
  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“-KAI!,” he hears, like his head is suddenly pulled out of a bucket of water. He gasps for breath, throat tight and shuddering as he tries to shake the panicked, swooping feeling in his stomach by digging his fingers into the dirt and opening his eyes that are sticky with tears.

Taehyun leans over him with a hand placed on Kai’s cheek and the other on his shoulder, shaking him and speaking to him with a faceful of worry and fear. Kai brings himself to focus on the words washing over his ears, pinning his eyes on the elder to concentrate on what he’s saying.

“―awake? Can you hear me?” Taehyun’s voice shakes slightly, and his eyes search Kai’s tear-streaked face for answers, “Kai? Peaches?”

Kai’s tongue feels thick and heavy at the bottom of his mouth, moving slowly and laboriously to form words, “I’m―awake. I’m okay. Thought that nickname was too sappy?”

Taehyun smiles in relief, pulling back as Kai sits up and holding his hand as he reorients himself and swallows thickly, “Yeah, you’re up. Thank God.”

“What was-Did I, uh, do anything just now?”

“You were moving about a lot, and you were whispering things and then you started _crying_ ,” Taehyun whispers quickly, “I’m assuming it was a nightmare―what happened?”

Kai freezes, feeling like a bucket of ice water was dumped down the back of his shirt.

How much can he say?

The scenes from the dream flash behind his eyes one after another. The fall, their angered, anguished faces and the last part―

“I just―I just remembered the fall, that’s all. It-” he settles on. Part of the truth is still the truth, right? “I dreamt of what would’ve happened if-”

“If Soobin-hyung hadn’t saved you?” Taehyun interrupts him quietly, pity, guilt and regret swimming in his eyes. Kai nods, eyes burning and the knot in his stomach tightening horribly.

Taehyun draws circles into his palm, looking at Kai through his eyelashes, “You’re safe. It shouldn’t have been close to happening, but in the end it didn’t.”

“I know-In my head I know that but-” Kai releases a breath, “It just feels like I’m going to wake up and be falling down the cliff.”

Taehyun hums, patting his own thigh, “Lie down here.”

“If you want to play with my hair, just say it!”

“Shut up and lie down,” Taehyun snorts, pulling him forward. Kai scrunches his nose, but complies and lies on his back with his head in Taehyun’s lap. Taehyun plays with his bangs as predicted, humming an unfamiliar but calming melody under his breath.

Kai looks up beyond the canopy formed by the trees, and his eyes round out with child-like wonder.

Splashes of purple, blue, and even green swathe across the night sky, dotted with an infinitesimal amount of tiny brilliant dots and glowing clouds of colour so that the dark backdrop of space lies crowded with stars. Circles of bright reds, blues, and yellows hang between the lights, splotching the areas between what he can identify as certain constellations from the maps in his room. He can’t stop his hand from tracing them in the air with a finger, whispering their names to himself until he snaps out of his awestruck state when Taehyun chuckles, interrupting the humming of the song he’d been singing under his breath.

“You like the stars?” Taehyun asks, smiling with an odd shine in his eyes. Kai flushes down to his neck, putting down his hand and using it to cover his face along with the other.

“Agh,” he groans, “I’m not a kid, I swear! I just think they’re _interesting!_ It’s not like I’m obsessed with them or anything, I just- _”_

“Happen to know the names of all the constellations and practically forgot I was here when you saw them?” Taehyun teases, quirking up an eyebrow with laughter in his tone and tilting his head, causing his earrings to clink together cheerfully. Kai somehow turns even redder, sitting up and moaning in despair while Taehyun giggles behind him.

The older prince scoots up and puts his chin on Kai’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around him and smiling even wider, “It’s cute that you have something that makes you happy.”

As Kai looks up again, feeling the warmth of Taehyun’s hug behind him and seeing the light of the stars ahead, he thinks.

_Some_ **_thing_ ** _, huh?_

Taehyun tugs him back then, pulling him down on his back on top of his chest and knocking the air out of his body. Taehyun’s laugh rings low in his ears, and Kai’s heart pounds a mile a minute in his chest.

_Something._

“Tell me about the stars,” Taehyun says after a while, pointing to a random part of the sky, “Did I point to any constellations?”

“You almost landed on Ursa Major, so I’ll give you some points,” Kai smiles, moving Taehyun’s hand until his finger is pointing straight at a particularly bright star, “That’s Alioth, the brightest star in the constellation. It’s also called…”

From his position Kai can’t see the fond smile on Taehyun’s face, nor his eyes attentively looking wherever the boy points. Eventually Taehyun’s other hand slides to pet Kai’s hair absently, watching as the boy points the one in the air to stars and explains their stories, gesturing wildly for effect when needed.

Kai falls asleep mid-explanation, hands slowly losing their energy until he’s curled up into Taehyun’s chest and breathing lightly through his nose.

Taehyun hums the same melody from before, reciting the lyrics as softly as he can manage, burying them into Kai’s hair as if pressing them into his dreams.

“The moments that felt like magic and the night sky I walked with you,” he sings, clear voice ringing from the quiet in the forest.

“They might just disappear,” Taehyun murmurs, closing his eyes, “Like dreams.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: Translation Notes:  
>  _E lay ma blel nahl asith ma atha_ : I am wihtout my heart *Roughly. This one's kinda fiddly, it's lapine from Watership Down.  
>  _Dayn ma atha, dayn sisi a vaorah um rusati pli lay natal_ : come my heart, come again and bless this brother who is empty  
>  _Uthow ma, atha! Yao mul i zyz!? A bralnao thli lay a tuhl ven ma! A bralnao e!_ : Hear me, Heart! Where do you sleep? I fear there is a hole inside me! I Fear it!  
>  _Nahl voir éneer-nyt_ : no more misery  
>  _Val me yayn éveer_ : Help him find happiness. *The intent in the words works with the magic, rather than the words themselves in this case.
> 
> S: Taehyun is singing Nap of a Star by Tomorrow x Together at the end uwu


	14. Snow White

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a bit of the air he has left, he _screams_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: This one's intense folks! Make sure you read the last chapter!

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ˚✩ ⋆｡˚ ✩

┊ ┊ ┊ ✫

┊ ┊ ☪︎⋆

┊ ⊹ ┊

✯ ⋆ ┊ . ˚

˚✩

_ “‘That is all right with me,’ answered the peasant woman. ‘I'll easily get rid of my apples. Here, I'll give you one of them.’ _

_ ‘No,’ said Snow-White, ‘I cannot accept anything.’ _

_ ‘Are you afraid of poison?’ asked the old woman. ‘Look, I'll cut the apple in two. You eat the red half, and I shall eat the white half.’ _

_ Now the apple had been so artfully made that only the red half was poisoned. Snow-White longed for the beautiful apple, and when she saw that the peasant woman was eating part of it she could no longer resist, and she stuck her hand out and took the poisoned half. She barely had a bite in her mouth when she fell to the ground dead.” _

-Little Snow-White,  _ Grimm’s Fairy Tales _

* * *

Yeonjun was in a bad mood to say the least, something had taken it from bad to worse overnight, literally.

Beomgyu had given up on trying to keep him from biting off his cuticles in favor of keeping the growling changeling from biting off his head. Everytime a tree branch snapped Soobin jumped, partially because of the loud noise and partially because he was terrified that Yeonjun had snapped Beomgyu in half. The fairy was chatty and the last thing Soobin wanted was for him to talk his life away

“He seemed fine when I gave him the chocolates last night.” Taehyun huffed as his face twisted in thought, “I don’t understand what could possibly be provoking his aggressive behavior, I thought food and snacks calmed him.”

“Maybe sugar makes him cranky if he eats it before bed, what did he eat for breakfast?” Kai asks as he casually snakes a hand around Taehyun’s waist, ever since last night there was something new between them. They jump as another stick his snapped behind them, Kai turns around and smiles weakly as the changeling throws the two halves of the stick to the ground and before slowly returning it.

“I gave him some cookies, he seemed to really enjoy them, I think the way to his heart is through his stomach,” Taehyun concludes brightly, obviously proud of his newest discovery, and Kai shrugs.

“Maybe he needs actual food and not just snacks.” Kai notes and Taehyun nods slowly as he mulls over the young prince’s hypothesis in his mind.

“I think you might be right! Th-There’s a town nearby, maybe he just needs a balanced meal to put him back on track, maybe the way to his mind is through his stomach as well!” Taehyun cheers and Kai can’t help but giggle at his innocent wonder. He was older but smaller and Kai had the strong urge to protect him.

He breaks their contact to go tell Soobin about his solution and Kai watches as the elf’s shoulder deflate, he had been holding Beomgyu in his hands for an hour now despite the fairy’s protests that he could fly just fine. Soobin didn’t want to admit he was just slightly terrified over the small chance that Yeonjun would snap him out of the air and swallow him.

Their path shifts slightly without the changeling’s knowledge as they make their way to their new destination.

The closer they get to the town the more anxious Yeonjun gets, suddenly the scent of the approaching town gets too overwhelming for him as memories of his childhood are suddenly dragged from the recesses of his mind.

“Um, guys, where are we going?” Yeonjun asks from the back of the group, voice quiet and wavering.

“We’re gonna cut through this town for a second to get some supplies and refuel, are you okay?” Soobin replies, turning to face the changeling as the shapes of the buildings become visible between the trees.

Yeonjun’s stomach churns as he answers, “N-Not really, m-maybe-”

“Hey, you can just stay here and watch our stuff if this is too much for you, we’ll be right back.” Soobin says warmly as the other boys drop their bags at his feet and put their extra layers in his arms. Kai giggles as he wraps his scarf around Yeonjun’s antlers and fluffs his hair playfully.

“Don’t worry Hyung, we’ll be back before you know it!” He chirps as he links arms with Taehyun and catches up with Soobin who had Beomgyu sitting tucked into his hair.

Soobin had settled it was better this way, with Yeonjun sitting and watching their stuff. He had been breaking and punching stuff the entire morning and the last thing Soobin wanted was for him to cause a scene in town. Besides, he doubted Yeonjun would like it in this state if they asked to hide his antlers.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

_ They left. _

_ We already told you, they wanted to use you. _

_ You’re a tool. A creature to carry their burdens and then be put down like an  _ **_animal_ ** _ REMEMBER!? Has that not been proven!? _

Yeonjun drops their stuff to the ground and rips Kai’s scarf from his antlers as he steps back.  _ They literally used me to sit here and watch their stuff like some sort of- some sort of guard dog. _

_ They treat you like a basic house pet, scolding you when you do things they don’t like and tossing you treats when you’re a “good boy-”.  _

Yeonjun recoils at the words, god he  _ hates  _ those words.

_ You’re so much more than that, people FEAR you but they do not. Make them fear you, make them realize that YOU are the leader of this pack. A real leader would never leave a member behind, no matter what- _

The voice spits victoriously and Yeonjun feels a tight feeling grow in his chest as his eyes begin to flicker.

_ You can’t justify Soobin’s actions NOW, can you!? _

_ No, he did leave me, he’s been neglecting me. He chose Beomgyu, I owe him no loyalty.  _ Yeonjun growls as his fists clench. He lets the hurt, the jealousy, and the rage he had been holding back fuel his thoughts.

**_Make-_ **

**_Them-_ **

**_Pay-_ **

His elongated nails dig into the palms of his hands as he looks around, the world coated in a crimson tint that causes it to look like the beads of blood that pool in the creases of his hands. Yeonjun’s eyes land on Kai’s scarf, fallen on the ground next to the pile of bags they’d shucked onto him.

He leans towards it, fingers twitching in anticipation, but instead grabs the pack directly beside it. He tears it open irritatedly, digging inside through the notebooks and clothes and supplies. The first thing he picks out is a small blank notebook, meticulously decorated by hand around the edges in preparation to be filled with something he can’t read in the title.

_ Don’t steal. Don’t eat and take what doesn’t belong to you. _

Yeonjun tears the notebook in half with a growl, pressing the falling pages into his mouth and sinking his sharp canines into the leather cover to bite off chunks of it, chewing aggressively. 

He finds more items to eat in the bags, covering his surroundings with scraps of fabric and paper and the like until he’s holding a thick and prettily embroidered coat in his hands, poking holes into it with the tips of his nails. He breaks off the silver buttons, cupping them in his hands and popping them one by one into his mouth, ignoring the light tingle in his lips and fingertips where the buttons came in contact with his skin.

Yeonjun takes longer eating the coat because of the width of the material, using all the strength in his jaw to break the threads. But as he works his teeth around it he finds it more and more difficult to breathe, a tightness in his throat expanding until he’s forced to spit out the mouthful he has lest he choke on it.

He brings a hand to his throat as he tries to swallow uselessly, anger slowly dissipating as he feels his throat close up, turning into a sense of panic while he hooks his fingers under the collar of his shirt to see if loosening it will help.

A feeling of horror sinks into his heart as Yeonjun realizes that he  _ can’t breathe _ .

_ Why can’t I breathe!? _

_ Please help me breathe- _

A feeling of nausea washes over him as the lack of oxygen gets to his brain, he wants to vomit up the brick of inedibles sitting in the pit of his stomach. But he can’t, he can’t breathe.

With a bit of the air he has left, he  _ screams _ .

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

They walk out of the town with bags and crates full of food and supplies. Laughing and smiling as they tease and play around with each other.

“Soobin-ah!” Beomgyu calls causing the elf to sigh and roll his eyes, “Come ‘ere, I need to ask you something.”

“What do you possibly need to ask me Beomgyu, that would require me to walk more steps than absolutely necessary?”

“Something special.” Beomgyu mumbles, glowing slightly as Soobin notices the slight blush growing on his tiny cheeks.

“Oooooo~” Kai and Taehyun playfully sing in unison, causing Soobin to think there was more to this question than he thought.

Beomgyu waves him a little ways from the other pair of boys and stops.

“Okay, this is probably really weird, and I’ve thought about it. C-Cause I’m really weird a-and I feel like this could really work out for some reason,” He starts as he wrings his small hands behind his back, wings glittering distractingly in the light from the noon sun.

_ He’s so pretty.  _ Soobin thinks.

“... So anyway, I talk  _ way  _ too much, let me get to the point,” Beomgyu chuckles nervously and Soobin smiles, “Soobin-hyung, I really-”

“-HELP!”

“Yeonjun-hyung!?” Soobin panics, snapping his head in the direction of the scream, excellent sense of hearing helping him pinpoint the voice and location exactly.

“Soobin-hyung! Hurry!” He hears Kai scream, the elf catches and cups Beomgyu in his hands before taking off through the trees. He arrives in the clearing they left Yeonjun in and panics as he drops down to his knees and cups the changling’s red patchy face in his hands, tears from his swollen cheeks making his hands wet.

“What happened here!?” Beomgyu shrieks as he watched Kai look through the wreckage of all their belongings. There are ripped clothes in the trees, broken objects and trinkets scattered across the forest floor, and shredded papers blowing around in the wind before getting caught in the foliage.

Soobin looks over at Taehyun whose hands are glowing a bright glittering orange, healing magic, “I-Is he having a reaction of some sort!? What’s happening!? I thought he could eat anything!? Did he get stung!? What-”

“We don’t know honestly but we think he may have eaten a few things…” Taehyun explains as he nods his head towards Kai sorting through the remains.

“We’re pretty sure he ate all the food but we don’t think he has any food allergies...” Kai continues as he continues to frantically search through the scraps.

“So I suspect it’s silver, all changelings have a severe silver allergy and if that’s what it is then-”

“You can help him!?” Soobin cuts off, tears welling in his eyes as Taehyun nods, “So, why aren’t you!? He’s dying!”

“The spell for that allergy on his species is very specific, so if I do it wrong-”

“You can make it worst o-or even kill him.”

“Exactly. My coat had silver buttons on it so I’m pretty sure that’s what it is, but we can’t find my coat.”

“S-Soobin?” Yeonjun chokes out and Soobin snaps his head towards the elder, biting his lip as he realizes the poor changeling’s eyes are almost completely swollen shut.

“Shhh, it’s okay, we’re here baby. You’re gonna be okay,” Soobin coos, the nickname slips but he doesn’t acknowledge it or the way Beomgyu tenses at it.

“S-Soobin I-”

“I FOUND IT!” Kai screams as he pulls a piece of blue fabric from under Yeonjun’s thigh, the strip of fabric is missing all six of its buttons and Taehyun nods in confirmation before facing his palms towards Yeonjun and motioning for Soobin to move back.

Soobin does so reluctantly as he watches Yeonjun desperately gasp for air, the changeling struggling to try to form words, before hitting the ground and passing out as he finally succumbs to the lack of air.

“Oh my- YEONJUN!” Soobin screams as a blindingly bright orange light flashes through the clearing like lightning.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Yeonjun’s eyes snap open to a wooden ceiling, and he sits up with a cry as he touches a hand to his throat. The words he’d tried to say as the corners of his vision had gone dark die on the tip of his tongue as he registers the blankets tossed over his body, and the light trailing into the unfamiliar room he’s in through a curtained window across from him. His head swims from the speed he’d sat up at, so Yeonjun scans his eyes painfully across the room while he lies back down on the mattress of the bed he’s lying on with a groan.

As if on cue the door into the room opens, and a tall man with graying hair steps in with a look of alarm on his face. Yeonjun jumps, going to cover the top of his head to hide his horns as he scoots the furthest away he can from the door, but is left with nothing but confusion as his fingers meet empty air.

His antlers are gone.

“Whoa there, buddy!” the man chuckles awkwardly, holding out a hand to appease him. “You’re up quick! How do you feel?”

Yeonjun licks his dry lips, posture defensive as his voice hoarsely speaks up, “W-Where am I? Who are you?”

“You’re in the Hyuil Inn, in the town of Labendeo,” The man says. Yeonjun stares at him blankly, and the man raises his hands, “It doesn’t really matter where you are, anyway. I’m the Innkeeper ‘round here. Your friends dropped you off, said you were sick and needed a comfortable place to stay for the night.”

“My friends!?” Yeonjun leaps up, legs giving way as soon as he stands, falling back into a seat. “Where are they!?”

“Stay still, For God’s sake! They’re fine, just out and in town! I told ‘em there’s no point in being all worried and cooped up ‘innere so they agreed to go out and enjoy the Carnival. The tall one―Soobin? Issat right?―he said you’d be nervous, but told me to tell you to rest up and that they’d be back to explain what happened.”

Yeonjun opens his mouth to ask another question, but his stomach twists nastily, causing him to squirm as he holds his middle in agony. 

The memories from before he passed out hit him like a slap to the face, twice as hurtful as the pain in his stomach. He breaks out into a sweat as the wave of agony fades into a dull throb, and as he opens his eyes―he didn’t even remember closing them―the Innkeeper kneels before him and shoves a flask of water into his hands, pushing him down and tossing another blanket over him as he pulls up a chair.

“Now,” the Innkeeper says as Yeonjun sips the water carefully, too tired to be mistrustful anymore, “Why don’t you tell me what a bunch of kids like you were doing in the Mabeob Forest?”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“D-Do you think we should trust him alone with Yeonjun-hyung? Wh-What if he tries to take his horns or something? What if-” Soobin panics as Kai takes his hand and pulls him away from the inn.

“He’s fine, I hid his horns, as far as he knows Hyung is just a normal kid.” Taehyun assures and Soobin nods slowly, hesitant to accept the information but accepted nonetheless.

“He said there was a carnival closer to the center of town that we can enjoy while we wait for him to wake up!” Beomgyu cheers excitedly, “Do you think they have a petting zoo!? I’d love to see some bunnies.”

Soobin blushes, Beomgyu had called him a bunny on many occasions and with the way he was currently looking at him, Soobin assumed he wanted to see more than one type of bunny.

Suddenly Kai gasps and they all look over at their maknae, who’s vibrating at the speed of light with excitement, “I-I’ve always heard about people winning plushies at carnivals! D-Do you think I could win a plushie!?”

“I’d be willing to test that hypothesis.” Taehyun smirks and he’s pretty sure he sees Kai actually glowing.

“Well, I guess it’s settled then. We can go to the petting zoo and you guys can take your shot at winning some plushies, yeah?” Soobin settles and the three boys nod in agreement, “Be back in an hour okay, maybe we can come check on Yeonjun-hyung in shifts? Taehyun and Kai, how about you two come back in half an hour to check on him and we’ll come back a half hour after that, just to be safe.”

They all nod once more and Soobin smiles, maybe he’s not so bad at being the leader.

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The Innkeeper―Yeonjun learns his name is Daehwan―leaves for a moment after Yeonjun tells him a heavily edited version of their story, going to get him some tea after his throat dries up from speaking for so long and sends him into a coughing fit. Yeonjun looks at his hands, and the heavy feeling in his stomach has nothing to do with the earlier pain as he finally is left alone with his thoughts.

There was no way to avoid what had been on his mind as his consciousness had slipped from him: He’d thought he was going to die.

And he’d almost spilled his feelings to―to  _ them _ .

Even more horrifying are the actions that had led to the situation in and of itself. His inability to control himself and the resentment he’d allowed to command him had nearly offed him where he stood, all for a little bit of revenge he knew he would’ve had to answer for anyway.

He only has this much time to wallow in his own self-hatred before the hall outside the door is filled with a pair of voices that rapidly approach the door of the room he’s in, familiar and discomfiting with the train of thought he’d been having. Taehyun and Kai burst into the room, all smiles and laughter, but their eyes are focused on him as soon as the door opens, scanning him up and down for abnormalities. Both of them are carrying small plush toys, soft and cuddled up in their arms.

“Yeonjun-hyung!” Kai crows, sitting on Daehwan’s abandoned chair and leaning in, placing the plush in his arms on his lap. “How do you feel? Has Daehwan-ssi been treating you well? Soobin-hyung will have a conniption if he hasn’t, I swear he thinks anyone he doesn’t know is a serial killer or something-”

Taehyun puts a hand on Kai’s shoulder, stopping the younger’s word vomit, “Kai, let Yeonjun-hyung answer your questions.”

“I’m sorry,” Yeonjun blurts out, biting his bottom lip as the two princes look at him in surprise, “I’ve been nothing but trouble the last two days and I-I just―I’m sorry for what I did.”

“Don’t worry about it, Hyung,” the corners of Taehyun’s eyes crease prettily when he smiles, full of understanding. The guilt Yeonjun feels somehow worsens, getting a feeling like the boy can see right through him. Kai nods along, offering Yeonjun the little plush rabbit in his hands by shaking it from side to side enticingly.

Yeonjun takes it, pulling the bunny close to his chest and holding it gently near his heart.

The three of them fill each other in for over ten minutes, setting their stories straight and telling Yeonjun what he’s missed. Taehyun clarifies he’d used a mimicry spell on Yeonjun, successfully hiding his changeling features for as long as needed to ensure no panic among the general populace happens. Daehwan returns to Kai and Taehyun sharing their carnival adventures with Yeonjun, carrying four cups of steaming tea on a small tray. From the bed he can smell the pleasant blend of aromas, niggling threads of orange, cinnamon, jasmine, and others that feel aggressively familiar.

With a jolt, he remembers where he’s smelled that particular blend before, and his heart jumps to his throat. He shoots Daehwan a critical look, but the man is just grumbling to himself while pulling up another pair of chairs as Taehyun apologizes good-naturedly at him.

“I’m surprised a group o’ weedy little squirts like  _ you _ made it to this town through the woods,” the old man furrows his nose, wrinkles deepening, “What with the Beast and all.”

Taehyun tilts his head in interest, “Beast? What Beast?”

“ _ The _ Beast,” the corners of Daehwan’s mouth twist in disgust, “Nasty thing. Started appearing a little over ten years ago in town, then moved into the woods and plagued them ever since. Nobody’s seen it since the first incident, but we used to find cattle and animal carcasses picked darn near clean, just sittin’ there without an ounce’a meat on their bones.”

Yeonjun tenses, and Daehwan takes it as a sign of horror, “Scary, ain't it? Creeps the hell outta me. I remember when I got the news from Chungjae that Old Aeji’d been holding the dang thing for God knows how long. It ran off and she went to look for it, but never came back. Probably got what was coming to her, you can’t trust monsters like that.”

Taehyun hums thoughtfully as Kai hisses lightly, shuddering a little. Yeonjun swallows roughly, throat dry and head spinning as he struggles to keep his breathing even.

“Do you know any other stories about it?” Taehyun asks curiously. A feeling of nausea builds up in Yeonjun’s chest as Daehwan’s eyes sparkle morbidly.

“Well, from what Chungjae told me his kids said…”

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Soobin sneezes softly as they leave the petting zoo, nose twitching slightly as he looks at the sun for the time. Beomgyu flutters his wings in the collar of his shirt, chattering excitedly in his ear. 

“-SO fluffy, Soobin-ah!” the fairy giggles, laughter ringing like tiny bells around him. Soobin nods, grinning to himself fondly.

“Ooo! Look Soobin-ah! They have a ring toss game!” 

“Hyung,” Soobin corrects absently, walking in the direction of the booth surrounded by colours and a few disgruntled customers. Beomgyu puts a hand behind his ear, playing with the strands of hair as Soobin reaches into his little bag for a few coins.

“How much is enough for one toss?” Soobin asks politely. The man raises an eyebrow and points to a sign with the prices listed beside him, causing Soobin’s cheeks to flush and Beomgyu to cackle quietly. The elf forks over the money, grabbing the three rings the owner holds out to him and shuffling awkwardly to take aim. 

The first toss flies wide and low, his arm sunk down by the weight of his bag on his shoulder. Soobin bites his lip and throws again, much too hard and high in overcompensation, hitting the ceiling on the left corner of the booth. 

Beomgyu pats on his skin as Soobin hesitates on the third ring, turning it over and over in his hands, “It’s okay if you don’t get anything, you-”

The elf shakes his head, pulling his bag over his shoulders and putting it next to him. Beomgyu notices how his fingers linger on the strap, rubbing it anxiously before letting go.

Soobin takes his time preparing to throw, part out of fear of failure, and part out of necessity. His hands shake slightly as he lines up the ring with a bottle, and he throws it, closing his eyes and covering them with his hands after to avoid seeing the results.

The ring swings through the air, spinning a few times, before bouncing over the lip of one bottle and hooking around the neck.

Soobin peeks from between his fingers as Beomgyu squeals, hitting his collarbone eagerly. 

“I-I did it?” he gasps. The owner gives him a weird look, but Soobin ignores him and laughs in elation. “I did it! I got it!”

“You did it Soobin-ah!” Beomgyu says fondly, eyes sparkling with mirth, “ Don’t you think you should get your prize, though?”

“Oh! Right!” he exclaims sheepishly, and approaches the counter again, “What can I…?”

The man looks at him flatly, grabbing a flower-studded hat from a bucket labeled ‘one’ and shoving it at him without any fanfare. Soobin grabs the edge gingerly, inching back as pink shame runs up the back of his neck. He turns to grab his bag, and freezes.

It’s not there.

Almost instantly Beomgyu notes the overwhelming change in his demeanor, going from excitement to near-panic as he looks around violently for any signs of who’d taken it.

“Beomgyu-yah,” Soobin whispers hurriedly, “Did you see who took it? Please tell me you saw, please-”

“I didn’t-I’m sorry!” Beomgyu tilts his own eyes into the crowd, and gasps when he sees the outline of it in the distant end of the group of people, looped loosely over the back of a tall man with a hood over his hair. “I see it now! It’s over there! I’ll go-”

Soobin calls out after him as Beomgyu shoots out into the air, flying high above the crowd as he looks for the man again. 

He flits through the air for almost half an hour, searching for the bag helplessly until he finally sees the hooded man leaving next to a tree at the edge of the town square, trying uselessly to open Soobin’s bag by pulling at the strings.

Beomgyu pulls at the constant warmth inside him, pooling light into the palms of his hands as he flies towards the man at high speed. He shoots off a tiny beam at his wrist, causing the man to drop the bag with a yelp, and swoops in to snatch it and go back into the sky as nothing but a blur.

He swings around, looking in the spot he’d left Soobin in, but finds the elf talking to a couple he’s stopped, gesturing with his hands and looking worried out of his mind. He waits until they leave Soobin before flying up behind him, poking his shoulder and pushing him into an alley between two buildings when Soobin turns around, off-balance due to surprise.

“Beomgyu-yah! You scared me!” Soobin scolds, gripping his own hair by the roots and causing Taehyun’s spell to ripple oddly, “You left without-You…”

The elf threads off as the fairy lifts his bag, waggling it in victory, though not without difficulty. “You found it?”

Beomgyu puffs up his chest, “Of course I did!”

“All that time you looked for it!? You didn’t have to!”

“You looked like you were gonna lose your mind as soon as you saw it was gone, how could I  _ not _ ?” Beomgyu argues back holding Soobin’s bag out, “Here, take it! It's heavy!”

Soobin cradles the bag carefully to his chest, running his hands over the hand-stitched cloth in wonder, “You really...did this? For  _ me? _ ”

“Of course I did Soobin-ah, you always seem so confused when I do something nice for you.” Beomgyu teases as Soobin blushes.

“I don’t know it’s just- it’s just I never thought-”

“You’d have someone who would do anything for you?” Beomgyu interrupts as he flits up close to Soobin’s face and places a delicate hand under his chin, the skin under what used to be his strawberry seed freckles turns a pretty pink. Beomgyu smirks as he places a tender kiss on Soobin’s bunny nose.

“I wanted to tell you this earlier but um, other things came up, I uh- I really like you, and I wanna be someone who’s willing to do anything for you.”

Soobin stares at him, mouth slightly open, unmoving. Beomgyu, feeling shy at his stunned silence, moves back slightly and wrings his hands together.

“You...like me?” Soobin finally asks, eyes round in disbelief and a tiny sliver of hope, mixed with another emotion Beomgyu can’t place. “As in, you  _ like _ like me? As in, you’d want us to…”

“Uhm,” Beomgyu gives him a lopsided smile, confident facade melting slightly, “Yeah, that’s kind of-The idea here. What do you say?”

Soobin’s face twitches, and he holds his forehead as his eyebrows furrow helplessly, “Beomgyu-yah, you know how I feel about-”

“Yeonjun-hyung?” Beomgyu hisses air between his front teeth, hugging himself, “I know. It’s-I maybe, also feel that way? He’s just so…”

Soobin walks himself back, leaning against the wall of the alley, “I know, I know. So you’re in the same boat there, huh? Figures.”

“I would want to, with-You know, it feels like I shouldn’t? It feels like I shouldn’t like both of you as much as I do, honestly. Yesterday, I might’ve messed things up with him, I got too eager. I don’t know how to fix it, but I just wanted to at least put the thought out there with you, since he-Not that you’re a second choice, but I just-”

“I get it, don’t worry,” Soobin runs his tongue over his lips, “Kind of wish we could. You know. But he’s...”

_ A mortal _ , Soobin wants to say, but he knows that would mean nothing to the fairy. The Fae have a weird concept of time, in his experience. They tend to view mortality as a choice until they see its effects themselves. 

  
So he lets Beomgyu draw his own conclusions about his hesitance, knowing his reasons will be at least partially correct.

“We can’t change his mind if he doesn’t want to,” Beomgyu shrugs, “But do you think you could give  _ us _ a try?”

Soobin’s hands feel cold as a breeze blows down the alley they’re in, causing Beomgyu to shiver in the air. He extends his free hand towards him, and the fairy sits daintily in the crook of his palm, looking up at him with his eyes wide.

Soobin opens his mouth.

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Yeonjun is covering his ears as discreetly as possible when there’s a knock on the door, interrupting the story Daehwan’s telling the three of them. He tries to avoid sighing in relief, but the sick feeling in his stomach fails to leave even when he’s no longer telling how his neighbor’s sheep had gone missing, and what they’d found in its stead.

“Come on in,” the old Innkeeper says, slapping his thigh. The door opens, and Soobin steps in, fixing his collar to hang slightly askew over his neck, where Yeonjun assumes Beomgyu is hidden. 

“Yeonjun-hyung!” Soobin’s eyes light up, and he steps forward, grabbing the elder’s shoulders and checking him over, “I’m sorry we didn’t come sooner! I lost my bag, and we had to find it. And by we I mean me, because I was alone! Yes! Uh, anyway, how do you feel Hyung?”

“He’s fine,” Daehwan answers for him, scoffing, “Boy just needs some good old rest to be good as new! I was just telling them about The Beast in the forest, a little story and some healthy fear never hurt anyone.”

Soobin blinks, “The Beast? You mean the thing that leaves all the―bones and stuff?”

“Oho! Someone’s from around here! Precisely, my boy, I just wondered how you lot avoided it!”

“I do live near here, but not too near! I’m from just, uh, around,” Soobin fumbles as Yeonjun shrinks out of his grip, “I’ve lived here a while but I’ve never, you know,  _ seen _ it or anything. If I found a sign of it I usually avoided that spot until I saw something somewhere else. It’s just the kind of thing I wouldn’t want around me.”

_ There it is _ , Yeonjun thinks, swallowing down the wetness that threatens to build in his eyes.

“Not a lot have seen it, I’m afraid. But I digress! You kids enjoy your young awake time, these old bones have started creaking for a bed! Goodnight,” Daehwah laughs, shutting the door behind him as the sun starts to sink neatly over the horizon. Almost as soon as the door clicks Beomgyu flies out of Soobin’s collar, tackling the side of Yeonjun’s face with a cry.

“You jerk! We were so worried about you, don’t go dying on us you  _ life anti! _ ” The fairy pounds a tiny fist gently into the side of Yeonjun’s head, not hard enough to hurt him. Kai laughs, and with a wave of Taehyun’s hand a rippling effect dissipates the spells on Yeonjun and Soobin, revealing their original features. Beomgyu climbs up Yeonjun’s head to grab at his antlers, knocking his forehead against one and nibbling on the side of it indignantly.

Yeonjun’s mood lifts against his will, letting the corners of his mouth lift into a tiny smile as Kai tries to pry Beomgyu from his horns. Soobin hands Taehyun a straw hat covered in flowers, inexplicably proud of himself, before closing the curtains until he can’t see outside anymore.

They use extra blankets Daehwan had left them to built themselves beds, leaving Yeonjun to stay on the mattress above them as they lie down with a candle in the middle of them all. Taehyun almost immediately wrestles Kai into being his little spoon, squeezing the boy’s midriff when he complains about their height difference and biting back at Beomgyu’s teasing comments with his own witty rebuttals.

Soobin and Beomgyu almost dance around each other then, atmosphere around them turning shy as the fairy makes himself a small pile of blankets right beside him, stealing a cushion for himself.

“What’s up with you guys?” Kai asks, tilting his head as Taehyun nuzzles his face into his back. Their faces flush, and Yeonjun sees Soobin’s eyes snap to him for a moment before turning back to Kai.

“We’re-We kind of…” Soobin fiddles with the tassel on the corner of a blanket.

Beomgyu interrupts him, blurting out a series of words that make Yeonjun feel like a bucket of water has been poured over his head. 

“We're something… more than friends now, since the carnival. I’m guessing Soobin-ah’s a little nervous about now, since we don’t really have a label for- it.”

Taehyun knocks Kai over with how fast he sits up, the younger falling over with an ‘oof’ and scrabbling onto his elbows. The tone in which Taehyun speaks radiates an indifference that completely contrasts how he’s practically vibrating, “About time. Is that why you took so long?”

“I bet it was Beomgyu-hyung who spoke up first!” Kai laughs loudly, covering his own mouth when everyone except Yeonjun shushes him, pointing to the door. “Sorry! I forgot!”

They bicker like so for a while, until eventually Soobin turns to face Yeonjun, “Hyung? You’re a bit quiet, is everything okay?”

Yeonjun doesn’t answer. 

_ They did it without me. They know a way around what Kai said. They don’t need me with them. _

“Does it... _ bother _ you, Hyung?” Beomgyu asks him quietly, eyes downcast. Yeonjun’s heart squeezes painfully.

_ Yes, _ he wants to say, _ I want that too. How did you do it? How? _

“No,” he says instead, unwilling to disappoint the fairy, “I’m fine, I’m happy for you! I’m just a bit tired, don’t worry.”

Soobin’s shoulders sag in what he assumes to be relief, and Beomgyu shoots him a smile that he’s too distracted to notice the pained edge of.

They all go to sleep after exchanging a few more words, none of them willing to acknowledge the tension in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: This time we won't forget the saturday update eheheh, please make sure to comment with your thoughts!


	15. Jack and the Beanstalk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He didn’t realize how much everyone around him dealt with, how much they kept inside and never told.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> S: WE’VE ALMOST REACHED A THOUSAND READS AND I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND KUDOS AND EVERYTHING😭
> 
> Aight, imma leave y’all also so you can read uwu please leave your thoughts and comments below!
> 
> Warning: Blood, mild gore, and mentioned death towards the end of this chapter!

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✯ ⋆ ┊ . ˚

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“‘ _ Oh! please, mum, do give me something to eat, mum. I've had nothing to eat since yesterday morning, really and truly, mum,’ says Jack. ‘I may as well be broiled as die of hunger.’ _

_ Well, the ogre's wife was not half so bad after all. So she took Jack into the kitchen, and gave him a hunk of bread and cheese and a jug of milk. But Jack hadn't half finished these when thump! thump! thump! the whole house began to tremble with the noise of someone coming.” _

-As recorded by Joseph Jacobs,  _ Jack and The Beanstalk _

* * *

Kai stretched as he opened his bleary eyes, but stopped in his tracks as soon as he realized there was something around his waist. Suddenly, the events of the previous night came to the front of his mind as he remembered Taehyun forcing him to little spoon. He chuckled softly to himself before sliding out of the elder prince’s arms as carefully as he could and sitting up.

“So small and cute,” He whispers to himself, his hand creeping slowly to brush the fringes of Taehyun’s bangs from his eyes.

Before Kai’s brain can actually register what’s happening, he snatches back his hand as Taehyun snaps at it.

A mischievous smirk grows on the elder’s face as a sleepy chuckle escapes his lips, “Good morning Sneaky.”

“Jeez Hyun, you scared the crap outta me.” Kai exhales as he wraps his other hand protectively around his wrist.

“You woke me up, I was hoping to sleep in a bit.” Taehyun groans as he makes grabby hands for the blanket Kai had taken with him as he sat up, “Besides, we’re close to the palace, the fact that we made it anywhere close to civilization is a good sign.”

Kai rips the fleece from his shoulders and drops it on the elder prince’s face, earning a soft oof, “Wow, I can’t believe I’ve almost successfully saved a-”

Suddenly Yeonjun’s stomach growls loudly, cutting off Kai’s words and startling the two princes a bit.

“Good morning Hyung,” Taehyun giggles as they watch Yeonjun sit up with blankets wrapped around his antlers, “You sound hungry.”

“I haven’t eaten since I almost died yesterday, which is very odd for me considering I’m always hungry, but I think it has something to do with the fact that I ate so much random stuff.” Yeonjun explains as he struggles to untangle the blankets from his head.

Kai giggles at the little grunts coming from the elder before climbing into the bed to help, “You usually eat a lot of random stuff, what made this time different?”

“Um, so stuff that humans don't usually eat takes longer for me to digest than actual food, sometimes I can’t digest it for a really long time and it gives me a tummy ache,” Yeonjun explains as he pats his stomach lightly as it growls, “I got a really bad tummy ache yesterday while you guys were gone but I guess it’s better now.”

“That’s good,” Kai chirps as he drops the blankets next to the changeling and rubs his belly, “Do you know where Soobin-hyung is? I don’t think Beomgyu-hyung is here either.”

Yeonjun shrinks from Kai’s touch at the mention of the two, “I don’t know.”

“Really? You usually-”

“Maybe you should stop expecting things from me, huh?” The changeling snapped, eyes flickering red and causing Kai to stumble backwards out of the bed with a thump.

“Kai!” Taehyun shrieks as the younger boy sits up and rubs his head.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Kai grumbles as he glares up at Yeonjun. The changeling holds his hands to his mouth as he backs into the corner.

“I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry! I-I didn’t mean to snap at you like that! I’m just- I’m just really hun-“ His words are cut off by a deep rumbling noise from his stomach, he whimpers as his eyes flicker red.

Kai huffs before beginning to scold Yeonjun, “Hyung! That’s so unlike you! Why would you-“

“Wait,” Taehyun pauses as he climbs into the bed, ignoring the changelings hands saying stay back, “He’s just hangry, his tummy is empty. He just needs a little-“

Yeonjun growls at Taehyun as he gets closer and Kai gulps, “Hyun, maybe you should step back a little, h-he’s not in a good mood a-and I don’t want you getting-“

Taehyun shrieks as Yeonjun snaps at his hand and shoves him from the bed, growling as he clenches his fists. Yeonjun stalks to the edge of the bed, razor sharp canines now visible as Kai pulls Taehyun’s small form into his chest.

“Hyung, I don’t want to have to pull my sword on you but I will pull my sword on you-“ Kai threatens as Yeonjun slides out of the bed and sways in place, feet slapping loudly against the wooden floor. 

Yeonjun’s head snaps towards the door, and not too much later it opens, flooding the room with the scent of warm bread and other goodies as Soobin shuffles his back on the door while carrying a tray full of food and a pack stuffed to bursting on his back. The flowered hat sits on his head, hiding his ears and hair, while Kai’s scarf is wrapped around the lower half of his face to mask his seeded cheeks. The top of Beomgyu’s head is just barely visible over the side of the scarf, fluffy hair poking out unnoticeably.

“Hyung?” Soobin has time to say before Yeonjun stumbles quickly towards him, grabbing one of the three whole loaves of bread on the tray and sinking his teeth into it, ripping the loaf in half.

Kai and Taehyun let out matching sighs of relief as Yeonjun’s eyes leak back into silver, face flushing happily as he scoops up some more food and goes to sit with his back leaning on the bed.

Beomgyu’s head pokes fully from out the scarf, scanning the faces of everyone in the room, “I don’t know what just happened, but I feel like we should all just sit down and forget about it.”

Yeonjun nods, chewing contentedly, finalizing the nonexistent discussion.

Taehyun laughs nervously, stepping away from Kai and heading to grab a plate from Soobin’s tray, the elf moving into the room and shutting the door with his heel.

As they all sit in a circle on the floor around the tray, exchanging quips and bouts of laughter over their breakfast, Kai can’t help but feel reminded of what mornings used to be like for him.

Waking up to his sisters’ individual rackets, rushed and chaotic breakfasts for each of them to make it in time to their lessons, and the occasional staged coup attempts between the three of them to avoid going to classes. Afternoons too were filled with similar adventures, breaks and sneaking out to play in the closed gardens while hiding from their teachers and the guards who came to find them. 

Kai sips on a glass of water, finding it harder to swallow with a sudden dryness in his throat.

Without his permission, the memories slip in through the cracks in his focus, filling him with an odd, fragile sensation that has him gripping the glass in his hands for dear life. 

He missed their musical giggles and their cuddles, and he even missed their incessant teasing over his plushies.

All ninety three of them, all with different names and personalities and looks. He missed his stars, he missed his room, he missed his parents-

He missed home.

Something twisted in his gut as he realized he had never been away from his sisters for so long, they were probably worried sick about him...

“Kai, you’re shaking, are you-“

Taehyun stops when he notices Kai’s glassy eyes and trembling bottom lip.

“I WANNA GO HOME!” The maknae yells as he chokes out sobs into Taehyun’s chest. The others stare, dumbfounded at the complete heel-face turn, while Kai struggles to regain his composure after the outburst. His body shivers slightly as Taehyun presses a hand into the back of his head, murmuring unintelligible and nonspecific encouragements due to his own confusion.

Soobin picks up quietly, the easygoing atmosphere fractured, putting away all of their things and carefully folding the blankets as Kai sniffles. Taehyun and Kai trade whispers after a while, too low to be heard even in the near silent room, soothing the youngest until he’s murmuring an explanation into Taehyun’s neck.

"Uh, Guys?" Beomgyu speaks after a while, landing in front of the two once all the bags have been refilled and everything put away, "We have to go, I'm sorry."

“I-It’s okay.” Kai sniffs as he gives Beomgyu a little pat on the head with his index finger, “The faster we get going the faster we can get home.”

Taehyun nods as he stands and straightens his clothes before grabbing his bags. He turns around to link his arm with Kai’s but stops when he realizes the younger boy is in Soobin’s arms, his head resting softly on Soobin’s stomach with the height difference.

“It’s okay Hyuka, you’ll feel better soon, I promise. We’ll get you home as fast as we can.” Soobin whispers into Kai’s messy brown curls. His heat-made straight hair had been destroyed by the elements of the forest over the past few days, and now little leaves and blades of grass were hidden inside. Kai sniffs as his eyes begin to well up with tears again at Soobin’s comment of reassurance.

“I just want this icky feeling to go away Hyung, I feel like I’m being suffocated.” Kai says, voice shaking as he pulls his sleeve across his cheeks.

“You feel a dull throbbing in your chest and a numb feeling spreading through your body, “ Soobin explains aloud and Taehyun shudders at the description.

“You feel stuck, “ Taehyun starts as he feels his own tears begin to prick at his eyes, “And no matter how much you cry you can’t wash the feeling from your system.”

Beomgyu looks at the three boys and feels a strong wave of sympathy and compassion rush over his body. His light dims as he lands on the bed in front of Yeonjun, he has no idea what that feels like. He often wishes he could get rid of his family considering how they treated him, treating him like a nanny rather than a prince. Always forced to take care of everyone else and himself last, but as the second oldest of the family, it was his duty. At least his family didn’t try to get rid of him or threaten to kill him if he returned.

He turns around as he hears a soft whimper escape Yeonjun.

“You realize that there’s nothing you can do, so you just try your best to ignore it.” The changeling chokes out and Beomgyu gasps softly to himself.

He didn’t realize how much everyone around him dealt with, how much they kept inside and never told.

“But we’ll get you back Peaches, I promise, I will do everything in my power to get you back to your family safe and sound.” Taehyun coos sniffling and he presses his hand to Kai’s cheek and delicately wipes the tears from his face, “I don’t want you going through this longer than you have to…”

Suddenly everything feels wrong-

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

They thank the man who let them stay at the inn before leaving and he wishes them the best of luck on their journey and hopes they stay safe with the monster still lose.

“Well he was nice!” Beomgyu chirps as they disappear back into the cover of the forest. Soobin nods in agreement as Beomgyu comes to rest on his shoulder. He zones out slightly as Beomgyu rambles on about rocks? Maybe. Instead he notices the way Taehyun’s arm wraps around Kai’s waist this time instead of the other way around. 

Kai seem on edge, apologizing and smiling stiffly as Taehyun nudges him and whispers promises of safety at him. Soobin grimaces, forming a half of an idea in his mind about what is happening to the youngest boy.

Their more comfortable rest means their progress happens faster, and the village disappears behind them as they move forward, trailing a road they stumble upon from between the trees.

The cheerful, fluffy, white clouds in the sky cast a shadow over them, refreshing yet regrettably causing their skin to break out into goosebumps with the coolness of the shadows. On one occasion where a large one floats in front of the sun, Yeonjun digs his heels into the ground and looks around in alarm.

Before he can speak a warning Soobin is already at his side, tilting his head to whisper in his ear, “Hyung? What’s wrong?”

“Something’s coming,” Yeonjun shivers slightly, “I-”

There’s a glint from the last beam of sunlight escaping the cover of the clouds and reflecting off something in the trees, before there’s a hiss of leather on metal and the cold whistle of steel rings through the air as a small dagger brushes the side of Kai’s cheek and buries itself in a tree across the road.

Yeonjun recognizes the emblem on the blade, bandits. Not just any bandits but bandits that will kill you on sight, the ones that view you as a threat and will treat you as such. Which Yeonjun has plenty of personal experience with, it also explains the way he freezes in panic.

_ “Don’t kill it! Capture it! I’m sure it’s worth something!” The head of the bandits exclaim as his minions chase a ten-year-old Yeonjun through the brush of the forest. They shoot arrows at his feet and throw ropes at his antlers. _

_ He’s running for his life again, every time he feels like he has a moment of calm where he can sleep without disturbances the universe rips it from his grubby little hands. He wants to fight back, sometimes he just wants to turn around and rip them apart piece by piece and make them suffer as he has. But he doesn’t, he can, but he couldn’t. Something inside him just said to keep running. _

“Yeonjun-hyung?!”

_ One of the arrows slits through his ankle, causing him to trip and fall into a puddle of mud. He props himself up and spits out the rocks and dirt coating his tongue as they wrap a rope around his antlers and pull. He cries out in pain as they pull the knot and drag him to their carriage. _

_ This is why he stays away from the main paths. _

“Yeonjun-hyung?! Are you okay?!”

“Get him away before he gets hurt!”

_ They throw him in a cage in the back of the carriage despite his screams and protest, he can’t go back in a cage he can’t. _

“Yeonjun-hyung? It’s okay, just breathe, I won’t let them hurt you.” Soobin coos as he reaches out to cup Yeonjun’s tear drenched cheeks.

_ He sits in the cage, clothes clumped with mud, eyes blurry with unshed tears and stomach growling with an unsated hunger. _

_ Suddenly the carriage is knocked on its side with the force of an enemy bandits clan. The cage hits the ground and breaks off the back before tumbling down the hill with him inside. It hits the side of a tree and a small opening appears in the side. _

_ Everything hurts as he moves to climb through, only to get stuck at his waist. _

_ Freedom is so close. _

“Come on Hyung, come back.” Soobin calls softly, “I don’t know what’s happening to you but I want it to stop! Your eyes are flickering like cra-“

Soobin cries out in pain as an arrow pierces his side, slicing deep into his flesh.

That snaps him out of it.

Yeonjun’s nails dig into the dirt as he hooks an arm under Soobin’s shoulder, pulling him to the side and propelling them away from the next arrow that whistles by. He runs on pure adrenaline as he presses Soobin’s own hand against the wound and turns around, snarling viciously at the bandit who approaches them with a branded blade in his hand.

Human Yeonjun says run.

Animal Yeonjun says protect.

Yeonjun’s eyes go solid red as he attacks. The man is fast but Yeonjun is powerful, he growls as he feels a satisfying crack under his fist as it makes contact with the bandit’s rib cage. He falls to the ground and Yeonjun moves on to his next target. The mercenary comes at him with a sword. He catches his arm in his hand and crushes the bone before throwing the body over his shoulder into a rock.

Taehyun winces at the sound as he phases a guy coming at Kai with a sword into a nearby tree. He’s mostly been on damage control, making sure Kai doesn’t accidentally kill himself. He clearly has never picked up a sword in his life.

Beomgyu disintegrates a guy right next to him before speaking, “Um, have you checked out Yeonjun-hyung?! He was crying like, two minutes ago and now he’s already taken out like, nine guys. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this pissed off before...”

Taehyun turns to look at Yeonjun and jumps when he hears the man’s shoulder get ripped from its socket.

“He’s a gentle creature, I don’t understand why- WHERE’S SOOBIN-HYUNG?!”

“Last time I checked he was... with Yeonjun-hyung.”

“And Yeonjun-hyung is-“

“Pissed.”

“Oh no.” They say in unison.

Taehyun looks around, getting distracted as he tries to find Soobin and creating an opening for a tall, thin woman to race in his direction, raising a pair of wicked sickles in the air.

“I gotcha Hyun!” Kai exclaims as he blindly lifts his sword and starts booking it towards the elder prince. As expected someone comes chasing behind Kai with a mace and now Taehyun has three problems.

He focuses as hard as he can on not throwing Kai into the air when he lifts the bandit behind him into the air before dropping him on top of the woman with the sickles. Kai flinches and trips, sending his sword into the air and into a tree.

“I got it!” Kai yells as he stands and Taehyun growls in frustration before gripping Kai in his force and plopping him softly on the ground. He pulls the sword from the tree across the clearing and sheaths it before dropping it in Kai’s lap.

“Sit! And stay! You are doing more harm than good running around like a headless chicken with a sword! You’re in the way like that!” The elder prince snaps, bringing his small glowing fists down to his side, “Beomgyu-hyung can you watch him?!”

“Sir, yes sir!” Beomgyu salutes as Taehyun runs off into the trees in the last direction he saw the caring giant elf, he hoped nothing too bad had happened.

“Soobin-hyung?! Hyung?! Are you okay?!” Taehyun calls into the thickening trees. He hears a small whimper and a flash of orange light a few feet away behind a bush.

“Hyung?!” Taehyun yelps as he runs towards the giant elf.

“T-Taehyun? Y-You should back up before Yeonjun-hyung thinks-“

Before Soobin can finish Yeonjun comes out of seemingly nowhere, growling protectively at Taehyun as he shields Soobin. Soobin coughs up blood into his hand, wincing at the arrow in his side. But that only caused Yeonjun to growl louder at Taehyun as he drew closer.

Taehyun makes his hands light up in a nice warm orange as he notices Yeonjun’s red eyes.

“Hey Hyung, remember these?” The elder prince starts as he waves his open hands, “I want to help Soobin feel better as fast as possible but I’m afraid if I get too close you’ll do me like you did one of those bandits.”

Yeonjun glares at him stubbornly and Taehyun smiles, “Come on Hyung, he needs help, he’s hurting. The faster you let me pass the faster I can fix him up.”

“Yeonjun-hyung, please.” Soobin chokes out as blood dries on his lip and he grips his side. Yeonjun’s eyes flicker for a second and Taehyun hears a faint whimper.

“I wanna help, please let me.”

Soobin gasps for air as an especially painful twinge goes up his side.

Yeonjun’s eyes go silver almost immediately.

“Please help him.” He sniffs, eyes welling up with tears as he backs up.

“I will.” Taehyun smiles as he drops down next to Soobin.

“Soobin-hyung, I’m gonna take the arrow out and it’s gonna hurt, a lot. Just for a few seconds until I can help ease the pain a bit.” Taehyun starts as his hand hovers over the arrow.

“I’m not worried about me, I’m worried about him.” Soobin grunts as he nods over at Yeonjun who’s pacing nervously as his eyes flicker.

“I can put him to sleep.” Taehyun offers, “Deep enough that he won’t wake up if you scream...”

“I was gonna offer you putting ME to sleep but I feel like that would just freak him out even more.” Soobin sighs, coughing again as he looks over at Yeonjun, “Even after we told him about us, he still cares so much. I mean look at him, he looks like he’s about to pass out… poor baby.”

“I think it would just be better if I put him to sleep, I can’t help you if I’m dead.” Taehyun nervously chuckles, “It’ll be quick and painless, he won’t feel a thing.”

“Um, what-”

Next thing Soobin knows Yeonjun falls to the ground slowly, his body hits the ground softly and Soobin smiles as Yeonjun curls in on himself comfortably.

And for some reason he feels a lot more calm.

“He’s a LOT heavier than he looks, okay, let’s get this done shall we? I’ll pull on three-“

“Wait, on three or after three?!”

“One, two, three!” Taehyun exclaims, pulling after three and definitely not on three.

Soobin screams extremely loud and Taehyun knows if Yeonjun would’ve been awake his neck would’ve been in the changeling’s enraged and probably murderous grip.

“Soobin-hyung?!” Taehyun hears Kai cry in the distance as he places his hand on Soobin’s wound and closes it seamlessly, magic stitching the muscles and fat and veins together, pushing out the haemorrhaged excess of blood.

“He told me to watch you! Slow down!” Beomgyu shrieks as he appears behind Kai through the trees.

“Soobin-hyung are you-“ Kai panics as he drops down on Soobin’s other side.

“I’m fine Hyuka, thanks to Taehyun.” Soobin smiles as he sits up and stretches. The younger boy slams into his chest and takes a deep inhale of the elf’s wild berry scent.

“He doesn’t seem to be.” Beomgyu notices as he points to Yeonjun writhing and whimpering on the ground.

Soobin gasps, “I thought you said it would be painless! He doesn’t look painless!”

“I didn’t do that! He seems to be in some sort of distress, should I wake him?” Taehyun offers uneasily as his hand hovers over Yeonjun.

“How about you step back quite a bit first?” Soobin nervously chuckles as he stands and pulls Taehyun to his side, “Now.”

With a wave of his hand Yeonjun is awake and in even more of a panic than when he fell asleep. The changeling scrambles onto his knees, hitting his back on a tree as his eyes swirl over everyone before landing on Soobin, flashing with a shadow of clarity. His sight roams over the elf, taking in his bloodied but healthier stance before swallowing harshly, a shaky exhale doing little to loosen the line of tension over his shoulders.

There’s barely a moment of silence while Yeonjun hobbles forward, eyes still nervously glued to Soobin’s side, until he looks at the faces of everyone else in the clearing and notices the wide gash over the side of Kai’s face. 

He brings a shaking hand to the side of his mouth, ripping the cuticle of his middle finger open before clenching his fist and dropping it, “...I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry, Hyung?” Soobin frowns, tilting his head, “Is it because of what happened just now? That’s-”

“I let you get hurt! All of you are  _ mine _ , I can’t let you get hurt with me here! It was my fault!” Yeonjun cries, digging his nails deep into the flesh of his palms.

Beomgyu purses his lips, fluttering up to Yeonjun’s hand with little to no fear. Taehyun flinches and puts his arm up in front of Kai, who’d come to stand next to him with all the intention of approaching their eldest, as Yeonjun rears back and shakes his head violently. Kai stares at Taehyun’s arm incredulously, before shrinking back and in on himself beyond their notice.

“Hyung...It’s not your fault,” Soobin tries, “You can’t help what happened to you during-”

“Yes it is!” Yeonjun snaps, eyes welling with tears as he bites down on his lip before speaking, “W-When I freaked out you tried to take care of me, I-If I hadn’t have freaked out th-then I could’ve protected you! All of you! But I didn’t a-and I’m sorry.”

“You shouldn’t be apologizing,” Kai says softly, but firmly enough that they all turn to him. Taehyun in particular looks at him questioningly, mouth opening slightly when Kai looks up with frustrated tears in his eyes and throws his sword on the ground.

“I should be,” Kai spits out venomously, “I’m the weak link here. I didn’t do a  _ single _ thing to help.”

Taehyun turns on him, indignant, “Kai-yah, you’re not-”

“Don’t patronize me! I know I’m pretty much useless!” the prince hisses, eyes stormy, “Even when Yeonjun-hyung freaked out he helped after, I was just someone to take care of.”

Taehyun gapes. Kai sighs, picking up his sword and turning around towards where their packs were left abandoned on the road, yet pausing for one second to speak some words with the worst emotion any of them have heard from him. No sadness, no anger.

Just resignation.

“I’m just  _ in the way _ , I guess.”

Kai doesn’t look back.

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The castletown comes into view around the evening, looming over them but still far enough way that it would take a few more hours to get there. Soobin hesitantly calls for a stop, and they settle at the bases of the edge of the edge of the woods, unwilling to step outside the forest and into the reality of the journey’s incoming end.

“So...will the two of you be alright?” the elf asks Taehyun, who’s sitting and fidgeting to himself at the roots of a tree, staring at Kai with a complicated look on his face. 

“What do you mean?” Taehyun frowns.

Soobin backtracks, stuttering and waving his hands in front of his face, “I mean-I guess if you took Beomgyu it’d be you  _ three _ instead but-”

“You’re not coming?” Taehyun interrupts, “You-You’re just  _ leaving _ ? That’s it? Don’t you want to stay with us a little while?”

“I…” Soobin blanks out.

“I’m sure I could convince my father to let you stay! You don’t have to go away, just come with us-”

“Hyun?” Kai speaks up, startling them all at his sudden noise, “Can I talk to you for a second? Alone?”

Taehyun nods dumbly, gasping slightly as Kai takes his wrist―why not take his hand?―and drags him enough into the underbrush they’re hopefully out of earshot.

Kai scratches the side of his own face, pulling at the dried blood he seemed to only just notice and stepping back. Taehyun’s hand jerks towards him slightly, before hooking onto his other elbow with a white-knuckled grip.

“Peaches?” Taehyun says. Kai flinches. “Is this about what you said earlier? I need to say sorry, since it was probably because of what  _ I _ had said that made you feel-”

“I lied to you,” Kai says almost immediately, shyly brushing the fallen leaves with the tip of his shoe, “When we first met. Well, technically it wasn’t me who said it, but I didn’t say anything against it so it still counts. It’s the reason I’ve been like this all day, knowing I have to tell you now.”

“W-What? What do you you mean you _ lied _ ? Tell me  _ what _ now?!” Taehyun takes a step back.

“Your parents didn’t send me, Taehyun,” Kai bites his lip, “I didn’t correct you because you seemed so  _ hopeful _ , and you wouldn’t have come with me otherwise. They didn’t send me, they hadn’t even told Sujin-ssi where you were when I found out you were gone.”

“I-This isn’t funny! Th-This isn’t something I’m gonna let you tease me about. You can tease me about my sense of interior decorating and you can tease me about being a nerd, but this is crossing the line,” Taehyun snaps, and Kai frowns at him. 

“Hyun, I’m not teasing you. They weren’t going to send anyone!”

Taehyun scoffs and crosses his arms before turning around, “You can’t seriously expect me to believe that now!”

“I already lied once! I’m telling the truth!” Kai exclaims as he throws his hands up in surrender, “Your father sent people to  _ kill me  _ when we got close to the tower! He didn’t want me to come for you!”

Sparks fly around Taehyun’s palms as he uncrosses his arms and turns around, “Why would he do that!? He told me he’d let me come back before I was old enough to take the crown! He  _ promised _ me-”

“HE  _ LIED! _ ” Kai shouts, lunging forward and gripping Taehyun by the shoulders, “JUST LIKE I DID! HE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT YOU ANYMORE, NOT SINCE YOUR SISTER GOT MARRIED! NONE OF THEM WANT YOU THERE! WHY CAN’T YOU SEE THAT!?”

“BECAUSE IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE! I’m the only heir to the throne! And my father  _ promised _ me I could go back!” The elder prince practically screams as he sniffs, mind clouded with disbelief, hiding the pain and hurt behind them.

Kai hisses in frustration, releasing Taehyun and digging his hands into his own scalp, “Your sister is  _ married,  _ Taehyun, she’s  _ pregnant _ ! They replaced you already! Why can’t you just believe me!?”

“You already said you lied to me once! This could all be a misunderstanding! Some sort of mistake!” Taehyun says with finality, wetness building in the corners of his eyes that he furiously wipes away with his sleeve. “We’re going to the kingdom! Unless I hear they don’t need me anymore straight from my father’s lips I can’t back down! I can’t go  _ back there! _ ”

Hot, angry tears fall from Taehyun’s eyes as he hiccups slightly, shaking his head, “I _can’t_ go back, I CAN’T! I’d rather _die_ than be stuck in that stupid tower alone again!”

Kai watches him cry, thunderstruck, and the knot in his stomach explodes into the leaden feeling of guilt on his back.

"Please don't make me go back," Taehyun mumbles, and that's just about enough to break Kai's heart into smithereens. Kai shuffles forward, fidgeting, and hooks an arm behind Taehyun's neck to pull his face against his collarbone. Taehyun's hands come up to cling the back of Kai's shirt, leaving deep indents with his nails on his shoulder blades as he practically headbutts Kai with his forehead when he buries his face in his shoulder.

"Okay," Kai whispers into Taehyun's hair, "I got it. We're not going to the tower, don't worry. I'm sorry I shouted at you, Hyun."

He feels his shirt dampen more and more with Taehyun's tears, the elder struggling to get a grip on his composure and murmuring agreeable things into his neck.

As he sees the edge of the castletown just barely poke over the trees in the distance, barely visible in the failing sun, his hand lightly brushes down the back of the prince's head and his other arm tightens around his back.

"I'm  _ so  _ sorry," Kai croaks, barely audible. 

Taehyun’s tears haven’t quite dried when they go back to the camp, the air in it warm as a tiny fire greets them in the middle of a semicircle of blankets. Yeonjun lies only a little away from Soobin, and Beomgyu sits on the elf’s shoulder. The three of them are whispering between each other hurriedly, discussing something too low for them to hear above the crackling of the fire.

Their eyes snap to Taehyun and Kai when the latter steps on a stick, crunching it under the soft sole of his boot. 

“Did you guys talk it out?” Beomgyu tries to quip, a twisted, awkward smile on his face. 

The back of Taehyun’s neck is pink when he answers, “We talked. About things. What were you discussing?”

“We were just talking about what happens after everything’s,” Beomgyu hesitates, “After you’re-”

Soobin does a vague arm gesture to finish Beomgyu’s sentence, as Kai sits next to Taehyun in the blankets that were set out for them.

“I guess we can burn that bridge when we get to it,” Kai yawns, eyes sliding to scrutinize Taehyun’s expression before laying on his side and patting the blankets next to him.

Yeonjun muffles a laugh behind his hand as Taehyun rolls his eyes, falling into ‘his spot’ as beckoned. The warmth of the fire dulls their senses as they spend some time talking, each of them slowly dropping off one by one until they all fall asleep.

Taehyun is the last one awake, staring off into space and gripping the fabric of his sleeve so hard the corner tears up.

He closes his eyes, ignoring the turmoil attempting to take over his mind with a wall of stubborn desperation that keeps it at bay.

  
The anticipation and  _ dread _ for what he knows is to come leave him awake for a long time.


	16. Finale Part One: The Smith And The Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But the sun does not fit further through the window, and Beomgyu’s light has dimmed until it’s just barely enough to compensate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: And so begin the finales! Time flies, no? Please make sure to leave a comment if you read~

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ˚✩ ⋆｡˚ ✩

┊ ┊ ┊ ✫

┊ ┊ ☪︎⋆

┊ ⊹ ┊

✯ ⋆ ┊ . ˚

˚✩

_“His son succeeded him and took over the smithy. But he had no such respect for the devil as his father had had. Whether he went early to the smithy or not, nothing prospered; and, instead of greeting the devil kindly, he went and took his very biggest hammer and knocked the devil three times on his forehead, and then set to work. When a holy feast-day came by, he went into the church and lit a taper in front of the saints; but, as he approached the devil he spat on him. For three whole years this went on; and every day he greeted the unclean spirit with a hammer and spat on him.’”_

_-_ Alexander Nikolaevich Afanasyev, _The Smith and The Devil_

* * *

Soobin wakes them up as soon as he does, an uneasy eagerness about him as they all scramble needlessly to prepare for their arrival.

The sun swings above them while they trek forward, the long, empty pasture in front of the castle town twisting and tricking their vision as they approach steadily. Yeonjun looks around constantly, somewhat relaxed but simultaneously on edge as his instincts just barely buzz with anxiousness, but without the urgency of immediate danger that he can see in the flat and neatly trimmed grasslands. In the distance, they can see farmers, who stop and stare as little specks the further in their party makes it.

On the last leg of their journey, a little before the sun is in the middle of its arc, they pause and debate on masking the features of the nonhuman members. Eventually, they settle on keeping them exposed, out of respect and transparency.

The shadow of the immense town gate hits them much later than it would in the afternoon, dark and intense due to the cloudless midday sky. The guards at the gate squint at them suspiciously, but let them across after a short inspection of Kai’s sword and their bags. Yeonjun doesn’t notice the man who spits at his heels after he walks past, Soobin pulling him out of the way just in time. 

The outskirts of the castle town are cold and empty, pristinely pruned firewood forests devoid of any singing birds or scurrying animals. The further in they make it the trees thin out, replacing themselves with small, equally sized houses neatly arranged along the path. There are no children in the outskirt gardens, just rows of vegetables and crops, no toys or playhouses or any semblance of life if the items were not perfectly maintained.

When the dirt road turns to cobblestone and there’s a hubbub in the air they come to the second gate, left unguarded, that takes them into the city. Finally, they see people milling about, carrying things across the filth-less streets, stunningly normal after all the other idyllic parts. Yeonjun covers his nose with one hand when they travel deeper and through the main road, whimpering inaudibly as it stings with unfamiliar scents. 

They try to follow Taehyun, who looks around through the streets with dubious familiarity, “It’s so much...bigger than it used to be.”

“I guess four years is long enough for it to change this much,” Kai says nervously, “Maybe we can get one of the locals to help us? What do you think, Soobin-hyung?”

Soobin doesn’t answer, looking around in concern at the nasty stares and mistrustful sneers being tossed their way. At the end of the cross-section they’re in, a tall pair of men step around the corner and look around. Soobin frowns as he sees them look in their direction and walk towards them rapidly, golden crests glinting on their shoulders.

Soobin realizes far too late that they’re _policemen_.

One of the men taps Taehyun on the shoulder, causing him to jump and turn around quickly. The boy’s eyes scan the uniforms, recognizing them in an instant, and opens his mouth to speak before the man interrupts him with a cold tone.

“We received reports of you and your... _companions_ disturbing the peace,” he says, and the buzz of the crowd suddenly seems less harmless, “What are your intentions in town?”

Taehyun’s eyes narrow, “We’re trying to head to the castle. I have business there.”

The officer latches on to this, giving him a slimy smile, “You have _business_ at the castle? Who are you?”

Taehyun’s eyes flash vindictively, causing Kai to grimace and step up closer behind him.

“I’m Prince Kang Taehyun,” he says, raising a slightly indignant eyebrow. Kai puts his face in his hands.

The officers look at each other out of the side of their eyes. Unbeknownst to all of the boys, their hands shape some signals behind their backs, and something glints and moves across the end of the street to cross over into the next.

“Prince Taehyun hasn’t been seen in years,” the same officer says dryly, “Do you have any evidence that... _you_...are him?”

Taehyun scowls as he makes his hands spark bright with colours and flashes of light until a transparent image of the royal family crest forms in the palm of his hand. He points to one of the jewels on it and holds a seemingly solid form of the mineral in between his thumb and pointer finger.

“My parents gave me this exact jewel on a ring when I was born, it’s also the same jewels that are in my crown. Still don’t think I’m the crown prince?! I was the only person in the kingdom who could use magic.”

The men stumble back as the image disappears just as fast as it appeared.

“Y-Your highness we-“

“Hyun-“

“W-Would you like us to escort you to-“

“Hyun!”

“O-Once again we apologize-“

“Hyun! They’re taking Hyungs!” Kai screams as he points into the crowd where they’re dragging the three elder boys in the other direction.

He screams as they capture Beomgyu into a tiny cage.

“What?! What do you mean?!”

“They’re taking Hyungs! They put Beomgyu-hyung in a cage!” the younger boy screams, “They’re-”

“They’re being escorted elsewhere!” the Officer interrupts, closing a hand around Taehyun’s arm. Taehyun winces as he pulls him back in a bruising grip. “A-Allow us to take you to the castle, if your _friends_ are cleared you’ll see them again before the day is done.”

Kai opens his mouth to protest, but the other officer puts a hand on his shoulder, expression sneering slightly, “Who are _you?_ ”

Kai fumbles a hand into his pocket, fingers closing around cold metal as Taehyun hisses, “Let _go_ of him. He’s-”

“-Prince Huening Kai!” Kai spits out desperately, holding up the emblem raised delicately into the cover his compass. “I found him! Where did you take-”

The two officers push them forward, guiding them towards a stout man standing beside a cart, feeding the horse attached to it while looking up nervously. Wordlessly the man steps away, and the officers gesture to the cart as if nothing strange was happening.

“Go on,” one of them encourages, stepping onto the cart and offering Taehyun his hand. Taehyun gingerly grabs it and helps himself onto the cart, turning around and helping Kai just as the wheels begin to turn without waiting for him to be on. Kai yelps and stumbles, falling to a seat on the side of the cart and pulling Taehyun to sit beside him.

“Wait, hold on,” Kai begs, “Where did you take our Hyungs? What do they need to be cleared of?”

The officer says nothing, tugging a piece of the wood cart and breaking it off, before throwing it out of the side after a short inspection.

The wheels of the cart turn loudly over the stones of the distantly familiar path to the castle.

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Yeonjun lets out a whimper as a hand clasps cold metal around his wrist. There’s too many hands, too many people pulling him every which way and the only thing that’s stopping him from losing it completely is the fact that he can see Soobin over their heads, protesting and being tugged along just like he is.

_Is this normal? What’s going on?_ He questions mentally, yelping when someone─he can’t see who, there’s too many of them, too many people, too many _fragile_ people─tugs harshly on the metal cuff around his wrist, cutting slightly into his arm. Yeonjun’s head feels fuzzy, eyes flashing with fear and pain as he hears Beomgyu spit out a stream of curses over the cacophony. 

“Don’t do that to him!” It’s Soobin’s voice, Yeonjun thinks distantly, hand curling into a fist as he looks into the elf’s anxious features. “You’re scaring him, he’s going to-”

_Crack_.

The broken cuff falls to the ground, stained a slight red, as Yeonjun is shoved and pulled forward towards a large, square building.

Then there’s an inundation, and the noises get louder as one, two, four, six different hands haul up and under Yeonjun’s arms.

“It broke the cuffs!”

“Tell them to get the special room ready!”

“How strong _is_ this thing?!”

There’s an increase in pressure as they squeeze through the doorway, and there are so many people speaking at once he can’t hear Soobin when he says something urgently, head being pulled down to fit through. 

The crowd thins out and separates, and there’s a long walk as they push and shove and tug them deeper into the building until they come to a hallway with only two, narrow barred cells on either side and an unlit lantern on a hook. Yeonjun’s eyes widen in understanding, but before he has time to jerk to free himself there are hands pressing something heavy to the bottom of his face, and flat straps reach to the back of his head and-

It’s a muzzle. They’re putting a _muzzle_ on him.

One of Yeonjun’s arms snaps up, reaching frantically to rip the leaden weight off his face, but it’s pulled down by several pairs of hands as they shove him into the cell on the left. His throat feels narrow as he cries out panickedly, swinging his head from side to side in an attempt to loosen it.

He can’t have one again, not one of these, he needs it off, off, **_off_ **-

“Take that off him! He’s not an animal, take it off! Let him go, he’s-” Soobin’s voice is interrupted when the people holding him shove him forward and into the cell on the right. Beomgyu’s tongue practically drips poison as the men take the empty lantern and replace it with the small cage he’s in, hanging him from the ceiling.

Yeonjun’s arm pulls free once more, and his nails─fluctuating in length─generate a scraping sound against the metal side of the muzzle as he struggles to get a purchase on it while his arm is being dragged back down by the quick reactions of the men. 

There’s a loud jangling sound that his eyes immediately fall towards, and he can see a pair of long, thick, heavy chains attached to a large boulder on one end of the room. His eyes scan the rest of the room, and he sees another similar set on the opposite end and an even thicker one behind him, and he knows─

A curling scream knots itself up in his throat as he tries to struggle away, the chains looming close until the first one is locked around his arm. The second one of the set is put on his ankle as his other wrist feels the weight of the one on the opposite side, and the men all huddle to keep him still as the other ankle chain drops heavily on his foot, causing him to cry out in pain. Much worse is the feeling of the cuff of the one at the back─much shorter, and much thicker─settling frigidly at the back of his neck, the clasp clanging tightly and loudly at the front as they force his head back to lock it. 

Simultaneously, all of the men step away from him, hovering as he fights against the restraints. Yeonjun chokes as he shoves his head forward, the clasp around his neck pulling the chain at the back taut as he struggles. The chains on his arms stick as he reaches behind his head, just long enough to prevent him from taking off the muzzle, and he lets out frustrated whines as the pressure on his arms becomes bruising.

Soobin watches him struggle helplessly from the other end of the hall, sunlight only leaking in coming through a small window and causing him to feel a little lightheaded and sway slightly as hot tears race down his cheeks.

Yeonjun's eyes move frenziedly every which way until they finally land on Soobin and Beomgyu, and he forgets himself and shoots forward, hands coming up to pull at the metal that's too thick to break.

Yeonjun cries out, tears streaming down his face and onto the muzzle, " **_SOOBIN! BEOMGYU! SOOBIN!_ ** _HELP_ ! GET IT OFF, PLEASE-PLEASE GET IT OFF PLEASE- **_HELP ME-_ **"

A hard fist slams down on the back of Yeonjun’s head, snapping it down into his chest. His mouth shuts with a sharp click.

“For the love of Istus, _SHUT UP_ !” the owner of the fist roars, fingers gripping the roots of Yeonjun’s hair and pulling him up harshly. “Yell like that again and you’re not the only one who’s getting tied up like this, _got it_?”

Something hot flows down Yeonjun’s chin and drips through the gaps in the mask, a coppery taste on his tongue as he nods. The pain in his scalp lingers even after the man lets go.

The door to the cell swings shut with a loud clang, locking behind the footsteps as the man wipes his hand down on his shirt before he leaves.

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───  
  
  


“You’re shaking, are you okay?” Kai asks softly so the guards can’t hear his voice, he doesn’t quite trust them, something about them feels... suspicious.

“Y-Yeah, just cold.” Taehyun lies, quickly looking up at Kai as a weak smile grows on his face, “It’s late October and it always gets cold around this time here, our light coats won’t cut it very soon.”

“You’re lying.”

“Wha-“

“You’re bad at it.”

“I am NOT a bad liar!”

“See, you’re lying again.” Kai teases and Taehyun rolls his eyes, the weak smile slowly growing into a real one. But he wasn’t going to let Kai get the satisfaction of making him smile.

“What’s wrong Hyun?” The younger boy asks as he locks their fingers together. Taehyun’s fingers tingle with something that’s not magic but it might as well be.

“‘M just nervous, that’s all, I’ve grown almost a foot since they’ve last seen me. My hair is longer, I’ve changed. I’m afraid they’ve changed too and I’m not sure if it’s for the better o-or for the worse. Do they still hate me? Have they softened? P-Probably not, m-my parents aren’t the merciful type.” Taehyun admits, voice cracking a bit towards the end and Kai rests his head on the elder’s shoulder, using his other hand to rub Taehyun’s belly. Taehyun smiles before resting his head atop Kai’s and closing his eyes.

“I’ve got your back Hyun, I’ll be by your side the entire time,” Kai assures, burying his nose into his in the crook of Taehyun’s neck, earning a satisfied shudder from the elder and Kai smiles.

“Honestly, I’m worried about Hyungs.” Kai admits and Taehyun lets out a shuddering breath, “Do you think they’re okay?”

“Probably not, knowing my parents," Taehyun wants to say but he doesn’t want to scare Kai, plus he knows how strong his Hyungs are.

“Probably, I hope so.” Taehyun admits and Kai winces, “They’re strong though.”

“Very strong, and so are you,” Kai adds and Taehyun chuckles softly to himself.

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

There’s a silence before Taehyun asks, “Do you think they’ve forgiven me? Even just a little?”

“I can never stay mad at you for too long so, but your dad didn’t seem too happy when I mentioned I was coming to get you. Plus, he tried to kill me. He would’ve if I didn’t have Hyungs.”

“They better not try to lay a finger on you in my presence or I will LOSE it, Huening Kai, that’s a promise.”

“Scary.”

“I WILL!”

“Ooh, spooky~”

“Stop teasing me!”

“I’m not, you’re actually scary,” Kai smirks and Taehyun shoves him away before turning and crossing his arms.

“Look at how scary you look right now.”

“STOP PATRONIZING ME!”

“I’m not, I’m so scared I might cry-“

“I will shove you off this cart.”

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Soobin feels the time crawl by slowly, listening to Yeonjun's soft sniffles and hearing them strengthen as he reaches for his stomach, what’s visible of his face twisting in discomfort. Talking and shuffling sounds are audible from down the hall.

“...Hyung? Do you feel alright? Did they do anything else to you?” Beomgyu asks, delicate brows furrowing with anguish, “I’m so sorry, Hyung-”

Yeonjun whines, “No, it just- hurts. It’s okay. Are _you_ okay?”

Soobin grabs the bars of his cell where they fall under Beomgyu’s lantern, holding himself up weakly from lack of light. “Nymph, Hyung. You’re locked up like that and you’re asking if WE’RE okay?”

Soobin’s voice echoes down the hallway. He puts a hand up to his mouth as the talking stops, and the sound of a chair scraping across stone rings through the air. 

Three sets of footsteps hammer towards them, and three of the men―Identifiable as similarly dressed to the officers from before now that they are no longer in a huge, confusing swarm―turn the corner and stand in the middle of the hallway.

“Who made that racket?” one of them complains, “Did we forget to tell you all to be quiet?”

“I think they need a reminder,” the officer who says it smiles cruelly, slamming an arm onto the bar’s of Soobin’s cell and causing Beomgyu’s cage to shake. His eyes scan the elf up and down, sneering. Soobin quivers in place, taking a step back. 

The last officer barks out a laugh, “Look at it! So big but so _meek_. What a waste.”

“It’s covered in plants. Is it made out of dirt?”

“That’s _filthy_. Fitting. I wonder what colour it bleeds-”

“Don’t you _touch_ him!” Beomgyu snarls, wrath belied by the way his body is wracked with shivers. The fairy’s face is pale but not with fear, formerly bright wings dull and sagging on his back, and the usually unnoticeable but bright glow dim even in the darkness of the hall. Yeonjun’s chains rattle as his arms quiver angrily and he growls under his breath, eyes flashing red.

The man who’d spoken scoffs, “Someone’s feeling _brave_ , huh? Aren’t I scared.”

Beomgyu yelps as his head hits one of the bars when the tallest of the soldiers slaps the side of his cage harshly, whimpering as he nurses it by curling in on himself. When he pulls his hand away, it comes away stained with red, and he presses it back on it with a hiss as his head throbs.

Yeonjun pulls his arm forward harshly, pulling the chain taut, “LEAVE THEM ALONE! D-Don’t hurt them!”

The tall officer walks towards his cell, “And why not? What does a stupid little thing like you have any business telling _us_ what to do? You can’t even MOVE!”

“What can you offer us to leave them alone?” Another officer spits at him, spittle landing at Yeonjun’s feet.

Yeonjun’s fists clench, “D-Do whatever you want with me. Just... don't touch them.”

“Hyung!” Soobin gasps, “You don’t have to-”

“Quiet!” The officer near Soobin snaps, slamming his fist into the bars again. Soobin flinches, stepping back even further, but his foot slips and sends him sprawling on his back.

“Soobinie!” Yeonjun cries out before he shoots the men angry looks, “I won’t fight back, I promise! I won’t do anything if you leave them!”

One of the officers laughs, “Why should we listen to you? We can-”

“You won’t fight back?” the Tall Officer’s eyes glint dangerously. The other shut up instantly. “Not at all?”

Yeonjun nods, swallowing harshly. A sharp smirk slices the man’s face, too big and too dangerous.

“We accept,” he says, deceptively kind. The Tall Officer steps away from him, gesturing for his companions to follow. They start walking away.

The Tall Officer tosses one last look over his shoulder, smirk still firm on his face.

“I look forward to having fun with you later,” he chuckles.

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───  
  


Kai hops out the cart before assisting Taehyun down, much to his protests.

Those protests quickly stopped when he looked up at the familiar cast-iron spires on the palace fence.

“I can’t do this,” Taehyun admits shakily as he turns back to the cart, he’s about to hop back in before Kai grabs his arm.

“Hyun-“

“Y-You don’t have to take me back to the tower but please take me anywhere but here, actually, we can go back to the tower. L-Let's live there together and hide from my parents-“

“Hyun listen to me.” Kai huffs as he grips Taehyun’s shoulders and pulls him behind the trees away from everyone’s eyes. His hands are sparking and his breath his shallow and Kai knows he’s panicking.

“Look at me, breathe,” Kai says in a soft yet firm tone as he brings one of his hands up to Taehyun’s cheek.

“I-I can’t do it Peaches! Th-They don’t want me! I-I shouldn’t have come, th-this was a mistake-“

“Hyun, you’re gonna get your kingdom back. It’s yours for the taking. You’re way stronger than them on all levels, you can do it okay?”

“But Peaches,” Taehyun chokes out weakly, hands trembling as he drags them across his face, “You don’t-“

“No buts, come ‘ere,” Kai says warmly as he pulls Taehyun into a tight hug, “We didn’t get this far for you to get scared of a fence now, did we?”

“I-I’m not scared of the fence!”

“Mhm,” Kai smirks teasingly as Taehyun gets comfortable in his arms.

“You’re such a brat Huening Kai,” The elder boy pouts as he pokes Kai in the chest aggressively. Kai grunts but keeps his arms firmly around Taehyun, one might say protectively.

Taehyun peaks over Kai’s arm, big chocolate brown eyes twinkling with leftover tears as he stares at Kai. The younger boy nuzzles him, taking in his adorable apple cinnamon scent before letting go, earning a whine from Taehyun.

“I know I know, I know you wanna stay in my arms,” Taehyun goes to protest but Kai continues speaking, “We can’t stay here forever though, we have to go.”

The elder prince sighs before taking a deep breath and straightening his back. He reaches for Kai’s hand and the younger boy takes it before interlocking their fingers.

“With you by my side, I can do anything,” Taehyun sighs as a confident smile grows on his face before quickly falling, “Please don’t leave me.”

“I’ll hold on as long as you need me too, I won’t let go,” Kai promises into Taehyun’s hair, resting his chin on his head for a brief moment before bringing his hand up to his lips and kissing it.

Taehyun lets out a small gasp, tensing at the action as his face reddens entirely. The flush earns a smirk from Kai as the gate opens and they walk through.

Taehyun’s body relaxes completely as he files their secret moment away in his memories.

Kai watches as Taehyun walks up to the desk with newfound confidence, and he sees a bit of power in his walk as well. He can’t help but smile at the fact that the elder had found a bit of determination.

“I need to speak with my father, the king,” Taehyun states firmly as he walks up to the front desk and the lady chokes on seemingly nothing.

“Y-Your highness?! Prince Taehyun?!” She stutters and every guard in the area turns to look at them, Taehyun quirks an eyebrow before speaking.

“Yes Marigold, it’s me.”

She gasps before standing and cupping his face, “You’ve gotten so big and... handsome.”

“Thank you, I need to speak with my father.”

“He said that you had gone insane, they said you lost control over your magic, that it had consumed you and you had run away!”

Taehyun smirks before lifting his hands and lighting them up with sparks and glitter, he grew a small bunch of bright marigolds and dropped them in the empty vase on her desk.

“I am very much in control and if anything, I think I found my sanity.” The prince smirks before looking behind his shoulder at Kai who’s standing shyly in the middle of the empty foyer as the guards stare at him.

“I’ll go get him right now, if you want to use one of the restrooms to freshen up please go ahead, we’ll bring you and your companion something clean to wear,” Marigold promises as she smiles at Taehyun.

Honestly, she missed him, the whole palace did, the whole kingdom did.

He was always so sweet and kind compared to his father, understanding and merciful. People knew that once he took the throne things would change.

“Good Morning Marigold!” Taehyun would say every morning when he passed her on his way to his classes, sometimes he would bring her a pastry or a slice of quiche. He would bow to the guards at the doors before entering and thank the staff when they assisted him. When he made a mess, he cleaned it, he didn’t just leave it for someone else.

In his father’s eyes, he was soft and weak, in the eyes of the people he was a saviour and an angel sent from above.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Taehyun showers completely, he missed running water more than he’d care to admit. He washed his hair, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and changed into what Marigold had brought him. 

He tied the black silk ribbons around his neck and tugged at his frilly lace sleeves before putting in a set of diamond earrings. He had decided to tuck the shirt into his navy blue cotton pants the way Yeonjun wore it, it looked quite nice on him.

“He’s right across the hall Taehyun, breathe.” He said aloud to himself as he brushed through his light brown mullet. He rushed out into the hall as his trembling hands made it difficult to even hold the brush. They sparked and popped and before he knew it the brush was whizzing around the hall, barely missing a few vases.

He grabbed it out the air before unenchanting it and throwing it in the bathroom.

He heard the doorknob turn as he laced his black knee-high boots, Kai came from the bathroom across the hall.

“Okay, I feel a LOT better.” The younger boy sighed in relief as he ruffled his wavy chocolate brown hair. He was dressed in almost the same outfit as Taehyun save his shirt was a pretty yellow and his pants a light blue.

“You look a lot better.” Taehyun teased and Kai rolled his eyes.

“You have no idea how much dirt and sticks and godforsaken LEAVES I washed out my hair and out of places I don’t even wanna talk about-“

“Do you think Hyungs have ever taken a hot shower before?” Taehyun asked as he walked down the hall, fingers once again interlocked with Kai’s.

“Probably not, they like, live in the forest,” Kai responds and Taehyun quirks an eyebrow as they turn the corner.

“Your highness!” Marigold squawks as she bows and Kai giggles quietly to himself.

“Yes, Marigold?”

“Y-Your father is a very busy man a-and I know you wanted to speak with him-“

“H-He doesn’t want to see me, does he.” Taehyun huffs in resignation and Kai feels his grip tighten.

“H-He said he’ll see what he can do, um, he also said to tell you to wait in the crown room.” Marigold sees the disappointment resting on his features and steps back, “I’m so sorry master I tried my best to-“

“No, Marigold, you did exactly what I asked. Thank you.” Taehyun smiles and Marigold bows.

“Welcome back your highness. A lot of people are going to feel differently about your return. Some people think you’re a traitor, some people think you’re insane, some think you’re a rebel. Some feel like you’re just a scared little boy, driven off by your father’s unyielding abuse, lost and confused. But for some reason, I don’t think you’re any of those things-“

Taehyun smiles as Marigold walks away.

“You mean a lot to these people, I’m sure they were upset when they found out you were gone.” Kai sympathizes and Taehyun shrugs as they begin walking to the crown room.

“I’m sure they were, I can’t believe- actually, I can, my father is manipulative and cold. He would definitely lie to our kingdom about where I am or what happened to me.” Taehyun snarls before bowing at the guards who let them into the crown room.

“I’m sorry Hyun.”

“Don’t apologize, I’m fine.”

“Apologizing makes me feel less bad that your dad treated you like actual trash, you deserve so much better.”

“You’re better.”

Kai’s ears turn red and Taehyun turns around so he can’t see the smirk on his face. Suddenly, he gasps, before running over to the giant glass case and unlocking it.

“It’s my first crown,” Taehyun mumbles to himself.

“It’s SO tiny!” Kai coos as he runs over to the elder.

“I was a small kid.”

“What do you mean ‘was’? You still are.” Kai smirks and Taehyun glares up at him.

“I will magic you Huening Kai don’t make me.”

“What are you gonna do? Throw me into another dimension?” Kai taunted and Taehyun shot him a smug and slightly annoyed look before snapping his fingers and opening a black hole behind Kai.

Kai shrieks as he practically jumps into Taehyun’s arms, “I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY! HYUN PLEASE-“

Taehyun snaps his fingers and the portal closes in an instant.

“You can make portals to other dimensions?!”

“We’ve only known each other for a few days Peaches, there’s a lot about me that you don’t know,” Taehyun smirks knowingly and the younger boy gulps before slowly stepping back and into a glass case.

“Hey, careful!” Taehyun calls out as he grabs Kai before he can topple something over.

“Woah, sorry, th-that looks important.”

“Kinda, i-it’s supposed to be my coronation crown,” Taehyun chuckles as his cheeks turn a shy rosy pink, “My dad had it made as sort of a bribe for me to conform. When he made it, it was a little big, and he said it would fit when I was prepared to take the throne.”

Kai looks at the crown and then Taehyun then back again before pulling off the glass case.

“Peaches what are you-“ The elder prince startled. He wanted to grab Kai but he was afraid he’d drop the glass.

Kai delicately takes the silver and amethyst bladed crown in his hands and turns to face Taehyun with a small smile on his lips. Taehyun’s mouth opens in a small ‘o’ as Kai places the emblem atop his light brown hair.

“A crown fit for a king I’d say,” Kai smirks.

The crown on his head feels heavy and suddenly he’s nauseous, he hasn’t worn one in years. He used to wear his old one every day for a while, before he chucked it out the tower window.

But then Kai lifts his chin and Taehyun remembers to breathe as he looks into Kai’s warm cocoa eyes, and suddenly everything is perfect again.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Soobin doesn’t know how much time has passed since Yeonjun made his promise. Beomgyu stayed unusually quiet, the fairy leaning against the side of the cage closest to Soobin with an arm hanging out the side. Soobin would think he was unconscious if he couldn’t see Beomgyu’s eyes wide open, blinking occasionally, but glassy and distant. Soobin still looks at him every few minutes, just to make sure.

Yeonjun sits on the ground in the center of his cell, the weight of the chains forcing him to go down after too long-standing. The metal they’re made of is dark and glossy, but crudely solidified. Adamantite, maybe? An Orichalcum alloy? Either way, Soobin doubts Yeonjun could break them.

By the looks of him, Soobin doesn’t think he’ll even try.

A knot of panic grows in Soobin’s chest as he hears, distantly, a new voice appears. The talking in the background changes tones, and footsteps approach the hall once again.

Soobin is just about ready to rip his hair out in worry for Yeonjun. He probably would, if he had the strength. But the sun does not fit further through the window, and Beomgyu’s light has dimmed until it’s just barely enough to compensate.

The Tall Officer rounds the corner and Soobin tenses, but it’s wrong. The man’s posture is too relaxed, turned to the side politely to greet someone who has yet to move into sight.

He feels nothing but confusion as a tall woman comes along, smiling tersely. She’s dressed elegantly, regular daywear, relatively simple but overly elaborate for anyone in the peasantry to afford. Soobin is perplexed at the idea of a noblewoman coming here of all places and decides to pretend to sleep against the wall, opening his ears to listen to the conversation.

“-terribly sorry to bother you Joowon-ssi, but I just couldn’t resist!” the woman’s voice says, sighing with...longing? 

“As I told you before, Lady Oh, it isn’t a bother at all,” Soobin shivers at the warmth in the officer’s voice, “I’m sorry you had to see the scuffle in the first place! We wanted to bring them in quietly.”

Lady Oh is dismissive with her next words, “I wouldn’t have seen that gorgeous little thing if I hadn’t been there! The visibility of the arrest shouldn’t worry you at all. It’s only fair the public gets to see dangers taken in, to keep our trust if nothing else!”

_‘Gorgeous little thing’?_ _Dangers?_

“In that, you may be right, Lady. You said you wanted to see it before coming by in the morning?”

“Yes, yes,” she says distractedly, “I’ll stop by after the executions to bring it home. Such a pretty little fairy, isn’t it? A bit dull right now, but that’s to be expected in a cage like that one. I can get it a better one made in a day or two.”

Soobin’s blood runs cold in his veins. Everything clicks into place simultaneously, and he has to resist the urge to throttle Lady Oh and Joowon alike.

Horrifically he realizes the reason for Joowon to be so agreeable to Yeonjun’s pact, and the reason for them to be taken before they’ve had a chance to talk to the people around:

They’ve put a death sentence on their heads. His and Yeonjun’s only, if the way Lady Oh is cooing and gasping at Beomgyu is any indication. Soobin doesn’t know which fate would be worse; to live forever as a pet, or to die without tasting freedom again.

And, even more despairingly, he doesn’t think there’s anything any of them can do about it. Their own lives have been taken off their hands, and come the morning they’ll have been taken _period_.

Distantly, Soobin recognizes their only way to escape this lies in the hands of Kai and Taehyun. But he doubts they know what’s set to happen, or even will know in time.

They’re all alone, and their time is running out.


	17. Finale Part Two: The Smith and The Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The King’s nostrils flare as Kai whines in pain, “So easily broken, aren’t you? Just a soft, fragile toy. Pathetic.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: Word of warning! This chapter has blood and other content like that that may make a few people upset, so read at your own risk.
> 
> S: Stuff kinda boutta hit the fan so please let us know what you think either on twitter or in the comments below uwu

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┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ˚✩ ⋆｡˚ ✩

┊ ┊ ┊ ✫

┊ ┊ ☪︎⋆

┊ ⊹ ┊

✯ ⋆ ┊ . ˚

˚✩

_“The devil was very patient, and endured all this maltreatment. At last it became beyond bearing, and he would stand it no longer. ‘Time is up!’ he thought. ‘I must put an end to such contemptuous treatment.’_

-Alexander Nikolaevich Afanasyev, _The Smith and The Devil_

* * *

When they unlocked his restraints, it took every piece of willpower he had to not rip everyone in that building into tiny bite sized pieces. He couldn’t, for Soobin and Beomgyu’s safety and health he had to fight the monster inside of him.

“Hyung, you don’t have to do this!” Beomgyu whimpers weakly as tears rush down his pale cheeks and he reaches his tiny trembling hand though the bar. He had been basically unresponsive to anything until he heard Yeonjun’s chains hitting the cold stone floor.

Soobin can hear the low growl in Yeonjun’s chest and knows Beomgyu crying and whining is only gonna make him lash out. For ALL of their sakes, it’s better that he doesn’t.

“Gyu, it’s okay. You’re gonna stress him out if you keep whining like that.” Soobin coos before letting a soft shuddering breath escape his lips, “I wanna tell him it’s gonna be okay, I wanna tell him everything’s gonna be fine, but it’s not. He’s not gonna be okay.”

Soobin didn’t have any idea why they would do this. They were literally just standing there and next thing they know they’re being arrested, tortured, and executed. Yeonjun was such a docile creature, he wasn’t dangerous unless he was scared or angry and Soobin was was sure he was both of those things right now.

He disappears around the corner and for the nth time that day Soobin cries.

“He doesn’t have to do this.” Beomgyu sniffs before slumping down in his cage.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Yeonjun whimpers as his eyes flicker red and he squeezes them shut.

_Not right now, not right now, please-_

They tighten his muzzle and the bands on his arms before approaching him formally. One of the guards bump his antlers and he winces. He’s not making a sound as tears silently run down his soft plush cheeks.

As soon as people see him they immediately think danger, little do they know is that he’s harmless, he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. Yet, they always want to hurt him.

It’s at times like these when he misses his parents, when he misses their warm hugs and tender kisses. When he misses his mother’s voice and his dad’s laugh. Dinner time and cookies and cuddles on the couch.

He misses it all.

He chokes out a sob as the memories come flooding into his mind.

“Quiet you beast!” Joowon snarls as he grabs Yeonjun’s antler and he cries out in pain, eyes flickering as he braces his jaw.

Joowon smirks, “Sensitive big guy? Does that hurt?!”

Yeonjun just whimpers in response.

“And what’s with the eyes thing huh?! Why do they keep doing that?!”

Yeonjun growls as his eyes go solid for a few seconds before he grunts and they go back to their normal silver.

It would be easier if he just let go and unleashed his rage upon the man, but he made a promise and Yeonjun never breaks a promise.

“Answer me!”

Yeonjun feels sick.

“Th-They do it when I-I’m a-angry or s-scared.” Yeonjun sniffs.

“Oh, so you’re scared, huh?”

Yeonjun’s eyes go solid, low growl rumbling in his chest, “Mostly just pissed because you keep threatening us but-“

He stops midway through his sentence and forces his eyes back silver.

This was gonna be harder than he thought.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

After the first half hour goes by, Taehyun sits against the side of the room, drumming his fingers on the ground. Kai leans against his side, putting his sword across their laps after he looked through the room as thoroughly as possible. 

Marigold stops by at the hour mark, bearing a small tray with two teacups. They’re grateful, but it’s hard to not be disappointed when they ask about an update and only receive a shake of her head. 

Without much to do, the second hour mark feels as if it takes three to reach, and Taehyun is about ready to crawl up the walls. He realizes―knows―what his father is doing, what he wants. He’s locking him up again, out of sight and out of mind for as long as he can, except this time he’s ignoring Taehyun when he’s right in front of his nose.

This knowledge acts like a fan to his flames of anger, and each minute they sit and wait Taehyun feels like burning the castle to the ground if only to get rid of his father. But then he feels Kai’s hand tighten around his, and hears him laugh at his own joke, and the rage burns once again only for his father.

However, Kai’s presence can only provide so much comfort before his anger hits a peak; Taehyun feels some tether snap inside him as they hit the sixth hour of waiting, Kai leaning his head on his thigh and sleeping softly after running out of patience.

He needs to see his father. He needs to get it all over with, for everyone’s sake. He hears Marigold’s now familiar knock, and calls out to her without moving.

“Come in!”

She steps in, and by the look on her face, he knows the answers to his questions will be the same as they’ve been this whole time. Still, he asks anyway, “Can I see him yet? Do you know where our Hyungs are?”

The shake of Marigold’s head is tell-tale. Taehyun hisses, frustration seeping from every pore in his body.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness, but I don’t think anything will come out of today,” Marigold says gently, “Would you like me to request a pair of rooms for the two of you?”

Taehyun thinks of how much longer this can go on. How much longer they can be forced to sit and wait, not knowing where the hyungs are or when they'll finally get to speak to his father.

How much longer they can be at his mercy.

“You can get a room for Kai,” Taehyun says, gently putting the younger’s head on the ground and standing up. “I’m going to go speak to my father.”

She frowns, “Your Highness, The King still-”

“I know,” Taehyun interrupts, the picture of calmness save for the way his fingertips spark and crackle with dangerous frequency. He walks over to the case with his Coronation crown, opening it almost reverently and lifting out both the pillow and the crown.

The way his fingers tremble when he puts it on his head, Kai’s words flashing through his mind, cause it to fall slightly askew. He hands Marigold the pillow, and fixes it using his reflection on the glass casing.

“Please put the pillow under his head,” he says, tilting his chin towards Kai’s sleeping body that’s already started curling up by itself. “I don’t want him to wake up with neck pain or anything like that.”

“Are you sure about this, Your Highness?” Marigold’s fingers dig into the purple velvet.

Taehyun smiles thinly at her, “Not at all.”

His feet carry him to the throne room, the halls plunged into a sharp silence save for the sounds of his shoes hitting the floor. The doors are about as imposing as they ever were, even though he’s taller now. You could say it’s less about the physical height, and more about the mental relevancy he put on them, if you wanted to get technical.

Taehyun didn’t have time for technical right now, so he chose instead to think that his father had made the doors bigger as well.

He knows, of course, that there’s guards just inside the doors. There should be some outside as well, but it seems security has gotten lax in four years. Taehyun pushes the door open carefully anyway, hesitant to hurt anyone that might be on the other side.

The hall is long, and there’s no build up, no slow anticipation to help him deal with seeing his father after so long. He’s just _there_ , sitting condescendingly at the end of the throne room with a peasant bowing before him.

“-really well, Your Majesty. But, you see, they could grow _even better_ with a slightly higher budget! Our fertilizer imports from-” the peasant’s voice is muffled as he has his head bowed, stopping his long speech after hearing the door open. For once, the King and a peasant are similar, if only in their confusion as Taehyun walks in properly, noting the fact that the guards sit much further away from the doors than they’re supposed to.

“Speak with the treasurer about budget,” the King says absentmindedly, automatically, like the response had been prepared long before the request had been made. His eyes are locked on Taehyun, scanning him up and down as if assessing him.

Taehyun supposes there’s no real doubt, no _as if_ to his father’s judgement. 

“Your Majesty?” the peasant says, “Your Majesty, I thought-”

“Get him out of here,” the King says, and Taehyun fears the worst until his father’s wrist snaps towards the peasant, “Take him outside.”

The peasant blubbers as the guards come up and drag him away, making Taehyun’s heart squeeze guiltily, “Please, Your Majesty! Without this budget, the exports will end up taking all the yields! Please! We-”

His desperate cries remind Taehyun that there’s more at stake here than himself, if nothing else. The doors slam shut.

Taehyun’s throat feels as dry as his mind, suddenly aware of the lack of other people, as he struggles to think of what to say. 

“I guess growing up didn’t make you any more eloquent,” the King scowls, breaking the silence, “Did you come back all this way to _stare_?”

Taehyun, finding his voice, bare his teeth humorlessly. “That’s rich. You’d like that, wouldn’t you? To have me content to just look on as you control everything?”

“Hum. A silver tongue,” his father says dryly, “You shouldn’t have come back. I’d have thought with how many of your little _books_ you liked to read you’d have been smart enough to figure out that you were better off in that tower.”

“Nobody’s _better off_ in a place like that!” Taehyun snaps, fingers crackling. The King straightens his back, looming on his throne.

“Don’t you pull that tone of voice with me!” he growls, “Know your place! I gave you a choice, and you made the wrong decision. I sent you away because I knew you’d never remember yourself anymore, not after all those little _stories_ and all that gobbledygook you dabbled in!”

“You can’t just get rid of me like that,” Taehyun hisses, “I have a right to the throne! You can’t-”

“You have NO RIGHT!” the King roars, standing. His robes spill over the sides of the throne, expanding his silhouette. “YOU HAVE THE LEAST RIGHT OF ALL! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO COME HERE AND ASK FOR THIS, NO RIGHT TO _DESTROY_ EVERYTHING I’VE WORKED FOR! You’d bring this kingdom to RUIN as you are! Too soft, too weak! Your head is in the clouds, you little _wretch._ And until you fall back to the ground and learn to listen, you’ll not be good for anything at all!”

Taehyun clenches his fists, digging his nails into his palms, “You’re ruining the _people_ , the _integrity_ of the kingdom is in pieces because of your stupid pride and prejudice! What use is a grand kingdom if its houses are _empty?!_ ”

The King groans, “And what do _you_ know of what’s good for the people? You’ve lived in your little novels and fairy tales, you’ve been more interested in knowing about _monsters_ than how to be a proper king!”

“They’re not-”

“-Monsters? Come to your senses once and for all, boy! The naive act got old a long time ago, those things you study are abominations and you _know it_ . When was the last time you considered them _people_ , really? You've been giving the same self righteous speech for years, it's about time you were HONEST!"

"I'VE BEEN _HONEST!_ " Taehyun cries. His hands spark, strings of lightning singeing the ground as the corners of his vision darken. The King traces them with his eyes. "I'VE BEEN NOTHING BUT HONEST! I'm not like _you,_ I don't build my life around lies!"

"Is that what you're telling yourself now?" The King sneers, smirking in something akin to victory, "You're more like me than you think. Whether I like it or not we're _blood,_ boy. One day you're going to fill the shoes I set out for you."

Taehyun grits his teeth. He's moved forward without realizing, coming to stand in the near shadow of the throne. The King's eyes, sharp and condescending and flashing, look down on him and light something in his bones like a primal rage.

Before he knows it he's extended his arm, setting fire to the lapels of his father's coat with a bolt of lightning.

"I will _never_ be like you," Taehyun snarls. But something is wrong, because the King is not angry.

Instead of the expected fury, Taehyun is left confused.

Because the King is smiling.

"GUARDS!" he roars, patting at the flames, and from places Taehyun can't see they swarm in. They hold onto his arms, his middle, his neck, so much so that he can't move.

"Take this little _traitor_ to the jails," his father says triumphantly. Taehyun wants to protest, but he continues, "And make sure to apprehend his companion. Keep _him_ in surveillance."

Taehyun pulls on his arm, "Don't you _dare_ touch him!"

"If you behave, I won't," the King says humorously, "For once in your life, _Taehyun_ , be a good kid until I decide what to do with you."

Taehyun hisses angrily as the guards carry him out the door, and his crown falls to the floor with the rough treatment. 

The clinking noise of it hitting the marble rings loudly underneath Taehyun's anger.

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───  
  


Yeonjun doesn’t know how much longer he could keep a grip on himself, he wanted to unleash the burning animalistic rage inside of him SO bad. It would be SO easy to just destroy EVERYTHING and he wanted to so bad.

But he couldn’t, for Soobin and Beomgyu he couldn’t.

He had no idea why he was willing to go through this for the strangers he met a few days ago.

Maybe it was the kindness Soobin showed him when they first met, Yeonjun hadn’t been treated with kindness in years, always treated like a monster. Maybe it was the way Beomgyu understood and forgave after he made the mistake of swallowing him, he SWALLOWED Beomgyu and the fairy forgave him. Maybe it’s the way on that first night in Taehyun’s tower the way they cuddled him.

The way Soobin wrapped his arms around him and the way Beomgyu settled comfortably on his tummy. It made in feel warm and safe and loved and protected for the first time in YEARS.

The way he felt loved, the way he loved them back. They made him feel good after all the bad he’s experienced and he wants to repay them.

He wasn’t gonna let go, he REFUSED to let go and let this feeling fall through his fingers. 

So even as they pulled on his antlers and called him a fat and gluttonous beast, his eyes stayed silver.

It was humiliating and painful but he couldn’t lose control.

“What’s this pretty little thing?” One of the men ask as he pulls the dangling jewel earring from Yeonjun’s ear, causing him to cry out in pain, “A dirty beast like you doesn’t deserve something so valuable.”

Joowon takes it and dangles it in front of Yeonjun’s face, causing him to growl, “What is this? Does it make you angry that I have it?”

Yeonjun swallows and Joowon grabs his face harshly, chubby cheeks being smashed and marked by the man’s nails, “When I ask you a question you answer!”

If Joowon knew how much that earring meant to him he would probably never see it again but if he didn’t he still probably wouldn’t see it again.

He just wanted to run and go hide in Soobin’s arms as Beomgyu hugged him from behind, promising that everything was going to be okay.

He was scared and wanted to cry.

“I-It’s my m-mom’s,” He chokes out between sobs, “A-After she died I um, I p-picked it up o-out of the ashes of our house.”

“Oh, so it’s sentimental?”

“P-Please be careful! I-It’s all I have left!” Yeonjun screams as his eyes begin to flicker again.

This is bad, he’s losing control.

“What should we do to it? Maybe burn it like the rest of the things he loves?” Joowon smirks cruelly and Yeonjun screams before squeezing his eyes shut.

_His house is GONE, there’s nothing left except a few wooden beams and some lumps of burnt furniture. Smoke still floats off of it as he draws closer and he chokes out a sob as he stands in what used to be their dining room._

_“Mommy?! Daddy?!” He screams at the top of his lungs as he runs across the property and down to their farm which is still partially intact. A few animals remain and so does their garden, strawberries budding bright red yet dulled by the color of ash._

_His stomach growls and he whimpers._

“SHUT UP YOU IMBECILE!”

_He looks around and picks a few before sniffing and walking back towards the house. He wipes the juice from the berries on his pants before wiping the tears from his plush cheeks on his shirt as something glittering in the ashes catches his eye._

_A singular charred earring sitting inside his mother’s open jewelry box._

“GET HIM QUIET!”

_His mother promised he could get his ears pierced like hers when he was older._

_It had been a few months, he was older._

_So he took the earring and jabbed it through his earlobe, the pain only made him cry harder. Internal and external mixing together as his eyes flickered._

Yeonjun cries out as they hit him, “SOOBIN?! BEOMGYU?! SOOBIN PLEASE HELP ME-“

_He pulls his hands away from his face and bites his lip at the sight of blood and now he tastes it on his tongue._

_“M-Mommy?! Daddy?! PLEASE come back I’m SCARED! I wanna hug PLEASE! HOLD ME!”_

_He curls into a ball and cries, he doesn’t know how long he cries but it feels like forever._

“GET HIM TO SOOBIN AND TELL THE CREATURE TO GET HIM QUIET!”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Yeonjun-hyung?!” Soobin sobs through his hands as they throw his quivering body onto the stone cold ground.

“Make him shut up!” The man growls as he slams the cell door and Soobin hears a 

weak whimper from Beomgyu.

Yeonjun looks horrible.

Bleeding welts on his back, shirt ripped and stained, it’s tucked so you could see his chubby belly and Soobin cries out, hands trembling as he reaches out towards the elder.

He rushes over as fast as he can and loosens the muzzle before gently pulling it off. Soobin watches as the flickering slows and Yeonjun takes a deep shaky breath before whimpering.

He’s calming.

It left deep red marks on his soft plump cheeks, they’re scratched and bruised. The cuffs made marks on his wrists and neck, that Soobin could see, and his eyes were beginning to flicker like crazy again.

Just like in the forest.

“He’s having another one of those things! When his memories take over him and he’s left immobilized, it feels real.” Soobin sniffs as he pulls Yeonjun into his arms and holds him. He winces and whimpers and Soobin helps get him into a comfortable position, well, as comfortable as he can get.

He wishes he had his magic.

“Soobin-hyung, help him.” Beomgyu sniffs and Soobin squeezes his eyes shut as he cries even more.

It’s not until he lowers Yeonjun that he can see his antlers are starting to scab over with dried blood, like they’d tried to rip them off the top of this head.

“Beomgyu I can’t, I’m too weak, we’re too weak and we can’t help him!” Soobin pulls Yeonjun tighter to his chest and bites his lip as he wipes the tears from Yeonjun’s cheeks, “You didn’t have to Hyung, th-this is SO much worse.”

“Y-Yes I did.” Yeonjun chokes out as he licks the blood from his lips and winces as an angry growl rips through his stomach. His eyes flicker and he growls before Soobin watches him fight it back down. 

He cups Yeonjun’s face as more heavy tears run down his own, “Why?! I don’t understand Hyung! You met us a few days ago and you were willing to sacrifice your LIFE for us! Why?!”

Yeonjun smirks slightly and Soobin can see his glistening fangs, “B-Because I love you, I-I love you both so much and I’m willing to sacrifice myself if it means you'll be okay.”

“Like-“

“Wanna...spend the rest of my life with you,” Yeonjun finishes as he coughs and whimpers, “Might right now.”

Soobin panics and tries to start up his magic, “Hyung! No! You’re not gonna die!”

The ground begins to shake and Beomgyu’s cage begins to rattle.

“Hyung please!” The fairy cries and Soobin gasps as Yeonjun’s teeth get smeared with blood. Yeonjun coughs, chest struggling to rise. His skin tinges a light blue.

“Y-You’re bleeding inside? H-How?!”

“They hit me-...felt something break. They called me a pig, but it’s okay, they’re not wrong.”

“No no no no no HYUNG PLEASE!” Soobin screams as he pulls Yeonjun closer, “They’re not right! Nothing they said was right!”

“They just confirmed everything the voices in my head tell me.”

Beomgyu’s cage hits the ground with the shaking and the wall behind Soobin begins to crumble.

The sky is darkening but it’s more sunlight than they had before.

“Don’t listen to those voices.” Beomgyu snarls as his wings begin to twinkle slightly and he crawls towards Soobin and Yeonjun.

His cage was dented when it fell.

Yeonjun gasps for air as he coughs more and more and Soobin wraps his arms around him, “Hyung! No! PLEASE don’t go!”

“I-I love you two,” Yeonjun chokes as his eyelids begin to droop, “More than anything.”

Soobin shrieks, “BEOMGYU?! WE’RE GONNA LOSE HIM-“

Beomgyu puts his hand on Soobin’s thigh and the elf feels a buzz of energy as Beomgyu harnesses the sunlight they have as the sky rapidly grows darker.

“We promise you’re gonna be okay, you’re gonna be fine, okay?” Soobin sniffs as Beomgyu climbs on his shoulder and his fingers tingle, “We promise you’re gonna make it, we’re gonna make it together.”

“We love you too Hyung, we love you so much.” Beomgyu chokes out as he curls into Yeonjun’s chest, and the changeling rests his hand on top of him right as his breathing stops.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Kai jumps awake as the doors slam open, dizzy and disoriented from the uncomfortable sleep. His fingers reach out into empty space as he feels someone heft him up and against the wall behind him, wrapping thick fingers around his neck. 

Kai’s hand snaps to the stranger’s wrist, eyes staring into his face and trying to pry his hand away, “Who-What are you-Let me GO!”

A set of soldiers grab his hands, pressing them together above his head. Kai wonders how he’s not choking more, taking tight breaths, until he realizes the other hand of the man is holding up his collar. He feels cold steel settle around his wrists.

“ _Hyun?!_ ” Eyes swimming, Kai looks around the room for any sign of Taehyun, coughing as the man squeezes just a bit tighter. Kai drops to the ground as the man lets go, handcuffs clinking against the floor.

“The little traitor isn’t here,” the man says disinterestedly, hooking his thumb around the chain between the cuffs and hauling Kai up to his feet. Kai winces, feeling the metal cut a little into the sensitive folds of his wrists. “He executed his plan without you. Failed, too; The King is alive and well, and he wants to see you. I wouldn’t worry too much about that little snake if I were you.”

Kai gapes, walking in a stupor, out the door and through the halls, as the man keeps talking, “I’d worry more about myself. The King won’t be too kind to someone who’s been consorting with someone plotting his murder.”

“Murder?!” Kai cries, shaking his arms as a tall― _tall_ ―set of doors opens slowly in front of him, “We weren’t planning _anyone’s_ murder! We just-”

The man shoves Kai forward, knocking him to the ground with a loud thump. A sharp pain skitters across his ribs as he makes contact with the hard marble floor, but it’s nothing compared to the sting in the side of his head where it slams onto the edge of the half-open door.

“Whoops,” the man says, and swings the―gates, for they’re much too big to be actual doors, much too imposing―shut. 

Kai’s knees shake as he lifts himself to his feet, a full body shudder going through him as his eyesight loses focus. He looks up and in front of him, and freezes as his eyes shiver to meet the King’s.

The King smirks at him, waving a hand, “Find yourself a visitor, again? I must say, I didn’t recognize you when you first... _interrupted_ me, Prince Huening Kai.”

“I needed-” Kai blinks repeatedly, tongue twisting, “I had to. Where’s Hyu-Taehyun? What have you done?”

“He’s where he’s supposed to be,” the King says flatly, “Don’t concern-”

Kai stumbles forward, feet sliding on the carpeted floor, until he’s almost directly in front of the throne. His head spins, and his breathing is rough, but his eyes don’t quiver as he holds the King’s gaze this time.

“ _Where_ ,” Kai says laboriously, “Did you put him?”

The king clicks his tongue, but his eyes are wide. Interested. “He’s currently in a holding cell. You’ve spent too much time around him, it seems. Unbecoming of an heir, if you remain one still.”

“What do you mean?” Kai can’t resist asking, although the few senses honed over the past few days tell him he should just cover his ears and sing in a corner. When the King’s eyes flash victoriously, his heart sinks to the pit of his stomach.

“You were very careless, you know. Assaulting a foreign king? Corrupting his son? Bringing threats into the heart of his kingdom? Why, you even used force to gain information! It’s enough to call you...”

Kai’s eyes trace the malicious way the King forms his next words.

“A spy,” he says.

Kai’s head floods with white noise, “A _spy_ ? But-There’s no hostilities! We have a treaty, there’s no _war_!”

“Not _yet_ ,” the King corrects, “But with all of the evidence piled against the _Crown Prince_ , I reckon there’s enough of a case to _make_ a war. I doubt your dear Mother and Father will be very happy to have my army at their doorstep, all thanks to their precious _son_.”

_You can’t_ , Kai wants to say.

But the King is speaking, and he’s telling the truth.

The King stands up, leaving his throne and standing in front of Kai. He’s taller; not by as much as Soobin, not by a long shot, but it’s enough that Kai feels every little bit of the years between them.

The King’s voice is disinterested now, Dismissive. “You were better off staying home, little _rat_ . But you wanted to play hero, didn’t you? Wanted to show Mommy and Daddy that you were good enough to take the throne? Wanted presents, parades, and parties in your honour because _you saved him_!”

The King’s foot slams into the ground with a dull stomp, and his hand comes up to grip the hair at the side of Kai’s head, tugging and _pulling_ harshly. Kai cries out, white dots of pain bursting behind his eyes as his legs buckle.

“You did nothing,” the King spits, “Except create a conflict for your parents. A conflict that I’ll make sure _destroys_ their kingdom and burns it down to ashes. And when I’m about to execute your father to end the war-”

The King puts a hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist, pulling it out and holding it up to Kai’s face. Kai whimpers, pulling his head away, unable to go far because of the twisting hold on his hair.

He’s trapped.

“-I’ll make sure to tell him it was all your fault,” the King finishes. 

Kai closes his eyes, tears slipping out of their corners, “Stop- _Please-”_

The King swings his sword.

Kai’s legs give out under him as the pressure on his hair holding him up releases abruptly, and he curls up in on himself with a gasp. His scalp throbs, unsoothed by the flow of air that now reaches his roots. The edge of his jaw stings fiercely, sticky warmness dripping down his neck. He presses his hands up to the cut, much deeper than the one that stained his cheek yesterday, feeling blood seep through his fingertips. 

It’s not a fatal cut, not by any means, but the cold fear and adrenaline that slip through his veins know no difference.

Kai’s little bubble, where the sounds are muted and the air is barely moving, bursts as there’s a loud clicking sound. Instinctively, he looks up and sees the King shaking his hand off as a butler holds a small metal box with the lid now shut. Remnants of the missing hair clump in a pool of blood next to him on the ground, but the grand majority has vanished, and the King’s hand is stained red.

Kai’s stomach clenches queasily.

“Get up,” the King stares down at him, sneering. Kai doesn’t move, so the King uses the edge of his steeled boot to kick at his side irritably. “I said get up! Follow orders, you little-”

The King’s nostrils flare as Kai whines in pain, “So easily broken, aren’t you? Just a soft, fragile toy. Pathetic.”

Kai says nothing.

“Take him to the guest room,” the King directs his voice at the guards at the end of the hall, “And make sure he can’t break out with any tools. Who knows what my _son_ taught him.”

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Taehyun’s jaw clenches almost painfully as he sits on a cot in the dark. His hands spark brightly in the shadows, twirls of dark purple and ominous black light, illuminating his shaking fingers.

He wonders if he’s even half as scared as Kai is, right now.

His leg bounces anxiously, almost to the rhythm of his racing heart as his thoughts speed through their options. Kai (his heart squeezes guiltily) was left behind, probably sitting confused and scared in a guarded room. Taehyun estimates that the Hyungs are probably in the prison with him, in a more secluded area to avoid any wayward visitors making conversation. They most likely were waiting for _Taehyun_ to come help them with good news, out of fear that they’d cause some sort of riot, or at least that’s what Taehyun thinks they would do. 

If Taehyun uses his magic to try to contact them, they could panic, or not believe that it's him. For the magic to even work he needs to know the general direction they’re in, and he doesn’t think he’s in any state to be casting communication spells if the way his hands are sparking is any indication.

Without any way of contacting anyone else, they’re all pretty much sitting ducks.

Taehyun tries again. 

If he manages to find a way to squeeze through the bars, or to get them open, he can search the prison for the Hyungs without using his magic. Then, if they somehow get out, they can go to the castle and find Kai, as with the extra support his magic would probably calm down enough to be usable.

But if he gets out, what’s there to guarantee he won’t get caught in the halls? And without the keys to their cells or _wherever_ they’re being kept, is there anything he can do? Can _he_ even get out in the first place?

Taehyun growls in frustration.

He tries, over and over again, mapping out possibilities and choices into paths that each get cut down ruthlessly by the amount of variables. Each time Taehyun gets more and more agitated, fingers sparking quicker and with larger bursts as he watches their options narrow more and more. He takes a deep, shaky breath, trying to remain calm, but all he can think is that with each course of action he shuts down his chances of seeing them (seeing _Kai_ ) again get slimmer and slimmer.

He’s been muttering to himself about these plans long enough for his tongue to go dry when there’s a knock on the bars of his cell. He looks up, eyes crinkling in confusion as he sees a palace butler in full attire holding a small, metal box right beside a soldier.

“What is it?” Taehyun croaks, eyes narrow. The butler sighs, gesturing for the soldier to open the food slot for him. The guard’s keys jingle, drawing Taehyun’s attention, as he opens the lock on the slot and helps the butler push the metal box through. It clunks loudly when it hits the ground, but does not open.

“The King sends this as a ‘motivator of good behavior’,” the butler explains, “You may open it once I depart. His words were that this ‘would be your severing from your disrespectful, defiant behavior’.”

Taehyun nods, already thinking what it could be. Probably some sort of gift, or a crown to appease him like his father had done so many times. It was always the same game, to maltreat him and call him back with pretty things that he’d like so Taehyun would think that he still cared.

The wording interests him though, so once the butler and the guard depart after locking the food slot once more he pulls the metal box into his lap, noting how light it is.

As soon as the edge of the lid cracks open the thick smell of iron floods his nostrils. Taehyun’s eyes widen astronomically as he shoves the box violently open, nearly ripping the lid off its hinges.

Inside the box lie clumps of brown hair, soft and soaked in blood. The bottom of the box is warm, and Taehyun's shuddering fingers let the box fall to the ground in horror. The blood is sticky, flowing out of the box and between the cracks in the prison floor.

Kai's hair. Kai's _blood._

The lid of the box has a paper note, fallen upside down when he'd dropped the box. Taehyun feels numb as he picks it up, turning it over so he can read the words written on it.

_I did it myself,_ reads his father's handwriting, _he was a bad influence. I hope you appreciate all I do for you._

_You'll forget him, soon enough._

Taehyun screams, and the scope of his vision narrows until all he can see is _red_.

The ground shakes under him as a crushing feeling emerges in his chest, and he feels an obscure cloud escape and flood his body as he finds no more reason to hold the darkness back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: Another warning! Next chapter might be delayed, so please be patient if it is~ Check our twitters for news!


	18. Finale Part Three: The Smith and The Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He’s scared of who might have replaced him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: Sorry for the delay! This is it!
> 
> S: HELLO I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE FINALE! Sorry for the delay, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell us what you think in the replies we LOVE hearing what you guys think about the story🥺
> 
> Also, there’s a bit of blood, warning uwu

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┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ˚✩ ⋆｡˚ ✩

┊ ┊ ┊ ✫

┊ ┊ ☪︎⋆

┊ ⊹ ┊

✯ ⋆ ┊ . ˚

˚✩

” _ Then the same young man who had acted as a hand to the smith came and asked: ‘Where are they taking you, master?’ _

_ ‘They are going to hang me!’ the smith said. And he explained what had happened. _

_ ‘Well, never mind, uncle!’ said the Unholy Spirit. ‘Swear that you will never strike me with your hammer, and I will secure you such honour as your father had. The lady's husband shall arise young and in full health.’ _

_ The smith swore and made oath that he would never raise the hammer on the devil and would give him every honour.” _

-Alexander Nikolaevich Afanasyev,  _ The Smith and The Devil _

* * *

The walls around Taehyun crumble to dust, sweeping themselves up into a cloud by his feet. The rush of air created by flowing darkness buffets his hair, slapping at his face and cheeks. Above, the sky turns graw, slowly migrating into a shadowy black. The bars of his cell creak and groan, melting away into furious little points of red before cooling thanks to the air, spinning through the air and occasionally beaning him in the side.

Taehyun can’t bring himself to care. In the one undisturbed point in the room lies the box, his eyes zeroing in on it and taking in the red stains with disbelief.

_ It’s not his _ , he thinks,  _ it can’t be. He must be lying. _

The shiny shade of brown glints mockingly at him. It’s familiar; Despite only having known it a few days, Taehyun has seen that shade from above and from below, flowing in the air and trapped between his fingers, sticky with strawberry juice and damp with water.

Now it’s just soaked with blood, and Taehyun clenches his fists. He stares at them next, the tightness in his fingers and the white of his knuckles, and ponders something he read once. A book he’d seen, dealing with the extent magic could change the laws of the world. 

The notes on necromancy had been less than a paragraph, but it’d been enough to turn him away from the practice. Taehyun thinks humorlessly, despairingly, on how he now wishes he’d looked more into it. Maybe then he could’ve fixed this, summoned an appropriate deity and turned the clock back as much as possible. 

Because although the book had warned on the toll the spells put on both the caster and the victim, he thinks that he could perhaps bear that weight if he has even just the shell of Kai it promised to give him. A cursed life with his barebones likeness at his side was better than this one that could no longer be called full.

As he sinks to his knees beside the box, Taehyun feels nothing at all. Not even bliss at being rid of the clinging despondency seems to appear as he dips his fingers in the blood, tarnished by the grime of the floor. He uses these moments of bodiless clarity to wonder how long it took. 

He thinks of the joyous Kai he’d come to know, and against his will imagines him scared. He remembers the expression he’d had before he’d slipped off the cliff, the fear in his eyes, the desperate motions of his arms, and thinks that’s probably what his father had seen as he swung his sword.

Imagining his father hurting Kai, imagining his father KILLING Kai. His precious, innocent, brave, insane, silly, adorable little Kai. Just the pure thought lit the embers of his rage ablaze, the feeling engulfing the previous numbness sitting in the pit of his stomach.

His father might’ve gotten away with taking everything away from him for all these years but 

that stops now, today is the day his father finally pays for all the pain he’s caused him.

Taehyun looks up, mildly surprised at the amount of debris that’s swirling around him. His cell is completely destroyed now, reduced to a cloud of dust, and so are the cells immediately surrounding him. All the walls in the prison that are still standing are cracked and crumbling, vibrating ominously. He’s even almost gotten used to the ground’s violent shaking.

Almost.

Over the shattered walls of the prison Taehyun can see the silhouette of the palace, bright and looming over the castletown. Ignorant to the trembling, the screaming of the people as they cowered in fear of  _ something. _

Taehyun wills himself into the air, dryly noting the irony that, by allowing one emotion to take over no matter how volatile, his magic flows as smooth as melted butter over his fingertips. He studies the inky manifestation of the substance, idly attributing its simple manipulation to the heat of his anger.

Taehyun’s composure has been lost, but the turmoil in his mind is like a calm, dark ocean bubbling dangerously just under the surface. Out of sight, out of mind.

Taehyun snaps his fingers, and the cloud that’s been floating wildly around him tackles the rest of the jail with a single minded purpose. The ground shakes much harder now, bringing passerbys to the ground as they can no longer hold themselves upright. Taehyun himself does not fall, of course, floating a few feet above the ground and watching the dirt under the stone he was standing on expose itself to the surface as wind churns it up into the air. 

As Taehyun moves forward, a long scar tears into the ground wherever he goes, marking his journey towards the castle. He feels something wet on his cheeks, and frowns, rubbing it off and holding his thumb up to his face.

He hadn’t commanded any rain, to his knowledge. Taehyun dips the tip of his tongue in the clear liquid, baring his teeth at the salty taste, and shrugs. 

He wipes his hand off on his shirt and turns back towards the castle, floating towards it at a luxurious pace.

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Beomgyu grips into Yeonjun’s shirt and screams as he feels Yeonjun’s chest fall for the last time. He looks up at Soobin as tears spill out his eyes and his eyes glow a bright unnatural white. Soobin cries out as a beam of sunlight punctures the clouds and surround him. The weak orange sparks around his hands strengthen and soon Soobin’s fist are glowing almost as much as the light around him.

“SAVE HIM!” Beomgyu screams and Soobin focuses the beam on Yeonjun, surrounding him in the warm orange light with as much power as he can muster. He had never healed anyone to this extent before but he begged all the deities he could remember to help him save Yeonjun from his mortality.

This is why they had the rule, not to fall in love with mortals, he fell in love with a god forsaken mortal. Breaking the number one rule he was raised with. Now he understands why they had it because he can already feel his heart shattering in his chest.

“PLEASE! We love him so much and he deserves a second chance to be happy, more than any of us! He deserves to be loved, let us love him,  _ please _ !” Soobin cries, cheeks soaked with tears of hope and longing.

He doesn’t think he could forgive himself if this didn’t work, if he couldn’t bring the sweet changeling back.

Beomgyu continues to draw power from the sun as Yeonjun begins to float out of Soobin’s lap with the sheer amount of magic coursing through his veins.

“Gyu! I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this up!” Soobin cries out, sniffing and grunting as he holds his arms out in front of him. His hands tremble and his arms tingle with the power.

“It’s okay Soobin-ah, you did good.” Beomgyu smiles, “Let go.”

“But what if-“

“It’s okay, if you can’t take it anymore let go. I don’t wanna lose you too.”

Soobin whimpers, looking into Beomgyu’s desperate eyes before letting Yeonjun drop to the ground and onto his side. He wasn’t too high up but Soobin still gasped, deciding to crawl over to the changeling as the ground continued to shake.

“Hyung?! Yeonjun-hyung please! You have to be okay, you have to be.” Soobin yells over the commotion of the collapsing building and panicked people. Beomgyu shoves and nudges him as hard as he can in his side and Soobin covers his face.

“I-I couldn’t save him-“

“Don’t speak too-“

Soobin looks up after Beomgyu’s voice is cut off, only to see Beomgyu is nowhere to be seen in what’s remaining of his cell.

“Beomgyu?!” He calls out frantically as he begins to stand and look for the small but feisty fairy.

He had only closed his eyes for a few seconds.

“Mmm, ‘m hungry.” A familiar voice groans and Soobin swears if he wasn’t already crying he would start now.

“YEONJUN-HYUNG?!” He yells before dropping to his knees and scooping the elder up and into his arms, “Oh my goodness you’re okay!”

“But is  _ Beomgyu _ okay?!” Beomgyu asks weakly, rolling his eyes from where he is on the ground, right where Yeonjun had been laying.

“Gyu! What happened?!”

“First, I think he broke my wings again.” The fairy huffs before standing and fluttering his wings a few times, “Second, when I was nudging him he rolled onto his back and CRUSHED me! Thanks you  _ behemoth _ , stop dying on us would ya?!”

“I-I’m alive?” Yeonjun asks as Soobin sets him on the ground carefully, he was handling Yeonjun as if he were fine China.

“Um, yeah, you were pretty messed up but we managed to save you.” Soobin mumbles, looking down shyly at the cold stone beneath his knees.

“No no no no, Kai told me that if I ever confessed my crush I would die.” Yeonjun corrects and both Soobin and Beomgyu look at each other with bewildered looks on their faces.

“Uh, no?!” Beomgyu scoffs and Soobin waves the sassy fairy off, pressing a finger against his lips. He makes a few muffled noises before Soobin speaks.

“Is that why you haven’t confessed? Is that why you slept outside the camp? A-And lashed out and ripped everything to shreds? Because you really wanted love but thought if you asked for it you’d die?”

Yeonjun nods slowly and Soobin’s face twists with pity.

“Oh baby...” He sighs before pulling Yeonjun into his arms, “You were just frustrated and upset and you were keeping it all inside-“

Beomgyu flies up and cups his cheek before kissing his nose, “We have a lot to make up for then.”

Yeonjun giggled innocently, he felt warmth fill his body after Beomgyu’s kiss. He felt his heart racing when he looked into their eyes and he couldn’t help but smile. He felt safe, warm, and protected. Like he’d do anything for them and more, like he’d give them all of his time and energy just to make sure they were happy.

He felt like he was in love, but also REALLY hungry.

Beomgyu quickly flew back as Yeonjun’s eyes flickered and Yeonjun whimpered before pulling away from Soobin and holding his growling stomach.

“Hmmmm, s-sorry I’m just really,” His words were interrupted but another growl ripping through his stomach and flickering eyes, “H-Hungry.”

“We have to feed him before he eats us.” Beomgyu frantically spits out and Soobin glares down at him, “Don’t look at me like that! You’ve never been in his stomach, you’re not snack sized!”

Soobin’s face softens before he turns to Yeonjun. 

The changeling looks up with red flickering eyes, “I’d never eat you...again, on purpose.”

They both smile at him softly before he cries out in pain and grabs his stomach, “STUPID CURSE!”

“We need to feed him NOW.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

They managed to escape their cell without getting caught, especially with the prison being evacuated. Most of the cells were partially destroyed so Soobin had assumed some people escaped. The prospect of criminals on the loose made him a little nervous.

They had no idea what was causing the shaking, Soobin explained that in all his years he had never felt an earthquake like this before. But, the more they walked the more distant it seemed, like the epicenter was moving away. There was still shaking but at least Yeonjun and Soonin could walk without falling a thousand times.

They eventually found Yeonjun food and neither Soobin nor Beomgyu had seen anyone or anything eat that much, that fast, in their thousands of years of existence.

Yeonjun hiccuped before sitting back and rubbing his full belly, “That’s MUCH better.” 

“As much as I want to sit around and ask you how you did that, I’ll leave that stuff to Taehyun, who is who knows where along with Kai.” Beomgyu interjects and Yeonjun nods before standing.

“I have a strange feeling telling me they are NOT okay, this kingdom doesn’t seem that, warm.” Soobin mumbles, “It might just be because we’re like, monsters, but they didn’t seem to be treating the maknaes too well either.”

“And they’re both royals.” Beomgyu adds and Yeonjun’s face twists between anxiety and anger.

“If they lay a FINGER on one of them.” He growls, eyes flickering as he clenches his fists at his sides.

“Easy big guy,” Beomgyu starts as he lands on his shoulder, “Before you go rage like you did in the forest, we need somewhere to focus it.”

“I have a few ideas.” Soobin squeaks before stepping back towards Yeonjun. The changeling whips his head around to see Joowon and his posse of bumbling idiots.

“You’re not getting away that easy you  _ beasts _ .” He smirks before spitting at their feet.

“This works.” Beomgyu snarls as he moves from Yeonjun’s shoulder to Soobin’s head.

“You’re gonna regret EVER hurting them!” Yeonjun growls as his eyes go solid red, he stands up to his full size and walks over towards the man.

Soobin can’t help smiling a little bit as Joowon steps back, cowering in fear of Yeonjun’s full power.

“Get ‘em baby!” Soobin cheers before quickly slapping his hands over his mouth and Beomgyu laughs so hard he falls off Soobin’s head.

They can’t see it but Yeonjun smiles.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Yeonjun all but kills Joowon but let’s him lay on the ground in pain, Soobin’s not sure which is worse at this point.

“Note to self, don’t piss him off.” Beomgyu gulps as Yeonjun turns around, his eyes flicker back to silver and Soobin notices how tired he looks.

“You did good baby.” Soobin smiles as his hands glow a warm orange. He heals Yeonjun’s busted and bruised knuckles before helping him wipe blood from his face and hands.

Beomgyu lands on Joowon’s chest, causing him to wince, Beomgyu assumes Yeonjun broke a few ribs.

“What’s happening and where are the princes?!” Beomgyu snarls as he walks towards the man’s face and Joowon writhes.

“I-I don’t know-“

“You know  _ something _ , spill.”

“I-I really don’t know!” Joowon strangles as he coughs, “S-Something about the crown prince being p-possessed by dark magic.”

“He lost control? Hyunnie doesn’t seem-“

“H-He lost something! A-Apparently a m-metal box was delivered to his cell a-and seconds later the p-prison began to collapse.”

“Where’s his cell?”

“He’s not in it.”

“Where’s his CELL?!”

“S-Straight back and to the right.”

Beomgyu reports to Soobin, “Your call leader.”

Soobin looks up, clearly startled by the use of the title, “I’m not- th-that’s Hyunnie’s thing, he’s the  _ actual _ crowned prince, I’m no leader-“

“Yes you are.” Yeonjun interjects and Beomgyu nods.

“O-Okay, well, I guess we go track them down and hopefully find out what made Hyunnie snap.” Soobin states and Beomgyu gives him a little salute.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The closer they get to Taehyun’s cell, the less prison there is.

He seemed to have destroyed EVERYTHING in his path.

Beomgyu flies closer to Yeonjun and Yeonjun whimpers before cowering behind Soobin.

“He really did snap, huh.” Soobin gulps as he feels the lingering traces of darkness in the air.

“That’s... off.” Beomgyu notes as he looks at exactly where Joowon said Taehyun had been held.

Most of his cell is blown to smithereens, save for a circle among the stone dust where a metal box sits. 

“Kai?” Yeonjun gasps softly and Soobin turns to him.

“No... why would you-“

“I-I smell him, I-I mean I can like-“

“You have his scent?” Beomgyu asks curiously and Yeonjun nods shyly.

“Don’t be nervous about it, we get it.” Soobin smiles before cupping Yeonjun’s fluffy cheeks and brushing a thumb across them.

“B-But it’s not, him, it’s his blood.”

“What?!”

“He’s not dead, it’s fresh it’s just-“

“What is it doing here?” Beomgyu finishes and Yeonjun nods before following the scent into Taehyun’s cell. Soobin follows close behind before freezing and putting his hands to his face in shock.

“That’s why he snapped, he thinks Kai is dead.” Soobin says softly as he picks up the red soaked note off the ground.

“But he’s not, it’s just a bad haircut.” Beomgyu notices as he lands next to a clump of Kai’s long wavy brown hair.

“He wants revenge.” Yeonjun adds and they all nod slowly as they realize this can’t end well.

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Kai rubs his nose, sniffling. Partially due to the sneeze he’d just let out, but mainly because of the rub of fabric on the cut on his jaw. The improvised bandage sticks tightly against his face, pulled up by the knots on the top of his head, and stems the dwindling flow of blood. 

His side feels cold; and although the only thing the room holds is blankets, he doubts any of them will help.

He can tell this is some sort of storage room, with the excess of bedsheets and such that make a relatively comfortable bed to lie on as he was attempting to collect himself. The tears on his cheeks stung at the wound before he’d finished covering it, doing his best with limited resources. An abandoned water bottle served its purpose to clean it out, and he’d found a blanket that was still warm from sitting beside a drying fire, meaning it was the cleanest thing available to him. 

Getting an infection seems like a small concern right now, but he’s sure at least Taehyun will appreciate his resourcefulness when his face is not rotting and falling off.

A quick knock and pull on the door had revealed that it was very locked and very guarded, and Kai doesn’t feel up to breaking it down and fighting his way out valiantly even if the cuffs on his wrists had been removed. He doesn’t feel up to doing much of anything at all, except wrap himself in blankets and find an obscenely large plush to hug. 

He tries to make himself a cuddle partner with a thick duvet wrapped into a pillowcase, but it’s the wrong size and shape and suddenly he feels very silly, sitting and holding a stuffed pillowcase as if it were a person.

He hugs it anyway.

Kai curses his body for getting too used to being around Taehyun all the time―And around Soobin, and Yeonjun, and Beomgyu, because he feels so lonely it’s almost like his body is throbbing. As if it were going to explode from how much he misses them. 

Kai grits his teeth for all but two seconds before he whimpers, as the act tightens the sore muscles in the side of his face painfully. Instead he tightens his hold on the pillowcase, leaning his good cheek on its side as a fresh wave of tears threatens to fall. 

Stupid King, for starting this all in the first place. Stupid Brother, for not dissuading him properly. Stupid hyungs, for being kind, for being nice and caring and everything he’d ever wanted in friends.

Stupid Taehyun, for being so stupidly pretty and stupidly small and stupidly  _ wonderful _ and for making Kai-

The door opens, and Kai realizes abruptly that the sounds of the guards talking had stopped. He squeaks, holding the wrapped duvet in front of him as a shield as he attempts to bury himself in the blanket pile as if it would make him any less visible.

“Are you lost, New Guy?” speaks a vaguely familiar voice. Kai peeks over the blankets, blinking slowly, and gasps.

“It’s you!” he says, fingers twitching, “You-You’re the one who let me in!”

The maid tilts her head, swinging the scabbard of Kai’s sword, “That’s me. And now I’m here to let you _ out _ , if you’d do me the favor of leaving your...sheet pile.”

“What?” Kai sticks out his lips, “Why? Don’t you-”

The maid’s deadpan stare silences him, “Prince...Do you really think that I’m so dumb as to not realize that the person who  _ climbed in through a window in front of me  _ was breaking into the castle, let alone guide them to the  _ King himself? _ ”

“I just-I just thought you were especially nice...?” Kai mumbles, lowering his head, “It was my first time doing something like that! There’s not exactly a  _ protocol _ for that kind of thing...”

“I was  _ told _ to let you through,” the maid rolls her eyes, “Get up. The guards won’t be out much longer.”

“Where are we going?”

“The Princess has a hidden stronghold under the castle,” she rolls her shoulders and moves to the side to open the door for him as he stands. He clutches the little duver pouch resolutely, causing her to sigh, “She’s been waiting for you to arrive.”

“The Princess? You mean Sujin-ssi?” Kai waddles through the door, wincing at the sight of the guards out cold with large red knots on their heads.

“Unless you know any-Oh, nevermind. I see what you mean. Yes, Sujin-nim.”

“How did she know I was here?”

“I told her, of course. What’s the point of having an inside man if you have to find everything out yourself?”

Kai jumps, struck by a thought, “Do you know where Hyun is right now?! I need to talk to him!”

“Hyun...?” the maid purses her lips, raising an eyebrow and opening a hole in the wall much like the first time they’d met. “Do you mean the  _ Crown Prince _ ? Taehyun-nim lets you call him that?”

“Answer the question. Please.”

“Last we heard he was at the prison,” the maid shrugs, pulling him into the tunnel and closing the wall behind them.

Kai huffs, “No change, then. Weird.”

They walk in silence after that, weaving through stone, deeper and deeper into the earth until Kai can’t see anything in front of his face. His grip on the makeshift plush tightens, and he guides himself by the sound of the maid’s footsteps. 

The neck of the cave widens abruptly, but the only way Kai can tell is because he can no longer feel the walls close to his body, and the echo of the air is much louder. He hears the maid’s hands touching the wall, searching for something, before yet another wall opens at her fingertips. Jokingly, he wonders whether she’s a witch, and that her only ability must be opening secret passages, before realizing that with what he’s seen so far (Yeonjun’s unending stomach space, Taehyun’s magic, Beomgyu’s wings,  _ Soobin) _ that very well could be possible. Just to be on the safe side, he refrains from asking.

Instead, as they move into a spacious cavern where sets of people mill about and mind their own business, he asks something different: “What’s your name, by the way?”

“Yeji,” she responds automatically, blinking over her shoulder in surprise. Or maybe she’s just adjusting her eyes to the candlelight.

“Thank you, Yeji-ssi. For everything,” Kai flashes her a broad smile, ignoring the pain in his cheek. The apples of her cheeks flush, and Kai suddenly sees she’s not nearly as old as he’s thought. Yeji looks around the age Soobin does, without the added ‘I don’t age after a certain point’ subtext.

Yeji kicks the wall this time, and it pops out neatly. She throws Kai’s sword into the opening, and he winces while hearing it clatter loudly against the ground.

“Just go inside,” she barks at him, “The Princess is waiting!”

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The marble of the castle yard is soft. It falls away easily under Taehyun’s magic, just as easily as the wood of empty houses on the way here, as easily as the cobblestone of the streets and as easily as the metal weapons thrown at him by the overconfident soldiers below.

How ironic, Taehyun thinks, that no matter how expensive his father’s designs, they all crumble the same.

His hands spark as he floats near the back of the castle, ground churning higher and wider until the small path carving itself into the dirt resembles more of a road underneath him. The back windows, one for the throne hall and one for the dining hall, overlook the field parallel to the forest in which the silos and barns lay. 

Taehyun puts a hand on the glass, looking into the throne room.

His father is no longer there. Taehyun clicks his tongue against his teeth and  _ pulls _ , grinning as the glass shatters out onto the grass. He floats down into the hall, smile dropping exhaustively as he looks around the hall. With all his magic residue and debris going around, the room feels small and cluttered. 

Taehyun blasts through the doorway, ignoring the increase in the tremors in the ground, and keeps looking.

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Kai-yah!” Sujin exclaims joyfully from behind her desk, the room brightly lit by softly glowing lights. They’re colored blue, hanging in lanterns from the ceiling. “You’re- _ OH MY GOD!-” _

Kai blinks as she screams, pointing at his face, “Hi? What’s wrong, Sujin-ssi? Also, how-”

“YOUR  _ FACE _ ! WHAT HAPPENED?!” Kai opens his mouth to respond, but: “Baekhyunnie’s gonna  _ kill me _ , oh Hel-”   
  


“Sujin-ssi?”

“-I  _ promised _ you’d be okay-”

“S-Sujin-ssi? It doesn’t hurt that much, it’s okay-”

“-never gonna trust me again-”

“It’s fine! Really! Please calm down,” Kai waves his free arm, “It’s just a cut! It already stopped bleeding! This is nothing, Sujin-ssi, I was in more danger when we were going by the Cadere, honestly-”

“YOU WENT TO THE  _ CADERE?! _ ”

“Uhm-Yes? Nothing  _ too _ bad happened, the only times I can think of that someone got actually hurt was during one of the attacks-”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN  _ ATTACKS?! MULTIPLE?! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?! _ ”

Kai gulps, “Well, there were the mercenaries, and the bandits, and Yeonjun-hyung kind of went all wild changeling for a while, but the most danger I was actually in was when I almost fell off the ravine, but Soobinie-hyung saved me  _ so _ -”

Sujin stands up, throwing herself over the desk with an alarming amount of momentum for a pregnant woman. She puts her hands on his shoulders and scrutinizes Kai from head to toe, obviously checking for missing limbs and the like.

“Um,” Kai swallows, “Okay…?”

As if switching on a lightbulb, Sujin narrows her eyes, “Wait a minute. Soobin? Yeonjun?”

“I uh, made a few friends along the way? There’s also Beomgyu-hyung,” Kai smiles nervously. Sujin groans, holding one of her hands up to her chest and using the other to grip Kai’s shoulder tighter.

“I thought you were supposed to be  _ sweet _ . Giving a pregnant woman several heart attacks is  _ not _ sweet.”

“Sorr-” Kai gasps as the ground begins to shudder, slowly getting stronger and stronger, “Uhm, Sujin-ssi? What is that?”

Sujin’s face has lost its playfulness, eyes set seriously, “I don’t know, but I can guess. Say, Kai-yah, how did you get that big cut?”

“The King-He used his sword, to-to-” 

“Aah,” Sujin snaps her fingers, “So that’s what he did.”

“What?” Kai frowns.

“Did you get close to my brother, Kai-yah?” Sujin asks by way of an answer. Kai resists the deep flush that threatens to go up his neck, and nods.

“He knows that, then. My father. Must have gotten very close, to be so effective,” Sujin’s muttering now, walking away and leaning on her desk while she rests her chin on her fingers.

Kai feels like he’s missing something very obvious, “What do you mean?”

“Hm? Oh!” Sujin beams at him, “Taehyun-ah thinks you’re dead, Kai-yah.”

Kai drops his makeshift plush.

“What do you mean, ‘he thinks you’re dead’?!” Kai cries, “Hyun’s not  _ stupid _ ! He would take his Dad’s words as a grain of salt if he tried to say that!”

“Not if he has evidence. Or something close enough to it,” Sujin says simply, gesturing with the side of her hand at Kai’s impromptu haircut and shave gone wrong, “Also,  _ aww _ , he let you call him that? I could barely get him to let me poke his cheeks!”

Kai runs a hand down the side of his head, feeling the uneven tips, “So he used my hair? It was kind of wet, the cut bled a lot, so that probably didn’t help...Ugh, I hate him! What does that have to do with the earthquakes, though?”

As if punctuating his sentence the tremors they’d become accustomed to grow stronger and more frequent. Sujin sighs, ushering Kai out of the office and back into the main chamber, weaving through a sudden influx of people and towards a wall where Kai assumes there’s another hidden door.

“Taehyun-ah’s always struggled with his feelings a lot,” Sujin says, grabbing one of the strange blue lights from the wall and opening the door, “I doubt he’d be able to handle grief that well, if you got as close as I think you did.”

“Struggles with his feelings…” Taehyun’s face, tear stricken and pinched after exploding, flashes through Kai’s mind. Imagining his sparking fingers and shaking hands causes his stomach to twist painfully. “Yeah, I can see that. So he’s causing the tremors?”

“Most likely. I wouldn’t worry if they had stayed in town, but the fact that they reach all the way here…” Sujin’s face looks grim, illuminated by the lantern, “I think he’s after my father. Which, hey, good for him and all, never liked that guy. But I don’t want my precious little brother going insane after murdering his dad in a fit of rage, you know?”

“So you think he’s lost control?” Kai squints at her. With each step they take through the tunnel the ground trembles harder, sending dust and pebbles raining down on them

“Definitely,” Sujin nods, and suddenly smiles, “You’re lucky; Not many people can say their death―fake or not―could drive the practically most powerful person in the kingdom to this extent, especially not my little emotional hermit. How close  _ did _ you get?”

Kai can’t dodge the fierce heat in his cheeks at the question this time, “C-Close enough. It was kind of an accident? I was just there, is all-Not to say it was  _ easy _ , but―And I don’t mean that he was  _ unapproachable _ or anything, it was-”

“I’m glad,” Sujin whispers softly, “that you were able to get along well. He was lonely. Even before getting sent away.”

Kai’s mouth feels dry, “R-Really?”

“Taehyun-ah never really cared for all the pomp and circumstance. He was always getting his hands dirty, always looking for the next thing to try or the next thing to learn,” Sujin’s voice is thick with fondness, “He didn’t get the chance to do everything he wanted to do, as a kid. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I wish I’d been able to help him more, you see, but I had even less power than he did. The most I could do was feed his interests secretly and try to keep him happy.

“He didn’t make friends among the courtesans. None of them were interesting enough, nothing like the kinds of stories he would read where all the characters had loyal friends and people around them. He likes romance novels, did he tell you that?” Kai shakes his head, feeling a little lightheaded at the information, “Nothing made him happier than when I showed him a book about magic and magical creatures, though.”

“He wasn’t born doing it?” Kai raises his eyebrows in surprise. Sujin shakes her head, tilting it to the side as her free fingers twitch, almost caressing the memory that must be filling her.

“You should have  _ seen _ him, Kai-yah, he was  _ glowing! _ You would have thought he’d found the world’s greatest treasure. The book I gave him barely lasted two months before it fell apart from how often he read it. I had to teach him to take care of them, so they wouldn’t break!

“Yes, magic made him the happiest. But it made him rebellious, too; Who would want to follow orders you didn’t like when you could  _ control lightning _ ?” Sujin shakes her head, pursing her lips, “Sometimes I wonder if he could have been happy with something else, but I don’t like doing that. He deserves his freedom, and he  _ loves _ this kingdom, for all the good that’s done him.”

Kai’s mouth moves without his approval, forming a response, “He’s really good at magic. I mean, I don’t have something to compare him to, but he learned how to grow huge strawberries in like,  _ an hour _ ! And he healed Beomgyu-hyung when even Soobin-hyung couldn’t!”

“He’s studied well,” Sujin smiles minutely.

“You can be proud of him,” Kai nods to himself, spotting the end of the tunnel at the edge of the light’s reach. “I think he’ll be a good king.”

The ground rumbles its agreeance with him, causing him to lean on the wall to keep his balance. Sujin shields her head from falling dirt, pushing on the flat end of the tunnel to open the door.

Kai initially does not realize what is wrong, when Sujin freezes the moment she steps out into the hall. Dirt has landed in his eye, so he struggles to rub it out while listening to a whistle, like the song of birds, eyes cast to the ground.

“Sujin-ssi? What’s wrong?”

Sujin inhales deeply, “It’s worse than I thought.  _ Hel _ , how did he even  _ do  _ that?”

“Do what?” Kai asks, and looks up.

The top half of the castle is partially missing, like it’s been struck by a humongous boulder. Above, Kai can see the sky turned dark and foreboding, and he can hear a loud whistling of wind just on the edge of his hearing, having mistaken it for birds. The clouds swirl around one spot in particular, punching a hole into the cover and marking the eye of the waterless storm clear.

“Hyun did this?” Kai gapes, eyes round, “He-It’s almost gone!”

“Kai-yah, pardon me for saying this, but did you pledge your undying loyalty to him or something?! This is-” Sujin swings her arms wildly, “I thought he’d poke a hole in a few walls, not  _ destroy the castle!” _

Kai shrugs helplessly, eyes zeroed in on the eye of the storm.

That’s where he is, Kai knows. Part of him feels warm and fuzzy, morbidly, at the fact that all of this happened because Taehyun thought he was dead. At least it proved he  _ did _ care―a lot.

A thick flash of lightning lands near the area Taehyun is in, followed by an impressive roar of thunder almost instantaneously after.

A  _ lot  _ lot, it seems. 

“I’m going to go find him,” Kai calls out, looking through the leftover halls and finding one that aimed in that direction. Sujin grunts her assent, hugging her arms against her body as she looks up.

In the sky, the eye of the storm looks back.

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“The king should NOT have done that. It DEFINITELY pissed Taehyunnie off and now he’s on a rampage, half of his stupid prejudiced kingdom is gonna get destroyed of someone doesn’t stop him soon. Taehyun is POWERFUL.”

“I don’t think the king expected that, this.” Soobin says, motioning to Taehyun vaguely as he moves towards the palace on his cloud of darkness and debris, “I don’t think anyone did. I think this is more than just revenge for Kai though, this is personal too. He has to be more than just grieving to build up that kind of power.”

“Do you think he’s finally getting revenge on his dad?” Yeonjun asks softly and Soobin nods.

“Definitely.”

“A lot of people are gonna get hurt like this.” Beomgyu frowns as he watches buildings collapse and light poles fall, “There’s no escape, just survival.”

“We’re a bunch of super powered forest freaks, the least we can do is help.” Yeonjun pipes up as his eyes begin to flicker. Beomgyu flies off his shoulder before Yeonjun turns to look at him, small smile on his face.

“I can control it too.” He giggles as his eyes flicker again and Beomgyu nods.

“Well, let’s not just stand here yeah?” Soobin shrugs and the other two boys nod before running towards the cloud as others run away. 

Soobin immediately catches a light pole as it almost falls on a couple, the woman’s heel had gotten caught in the cobblestone of the street. She stares at him for a second before realizing how tall he is and screaming. Her husband drags her away as Soobin shrugs and places the pole on the ground.

“You’re welcome for saving your life I guess.” Soobin huffs as he turns around and shrieks as a beam of light nearly burns off his face.

“Careful you giant tree! You’re gonna get hit in the head with a piece of roof if you don’t start paying attention!” Beomgyu yells over the winds, smirking as Soobin rolls his eyes.

He looks over to see Yeonjun climbing from a second story balcony with a little girl in his arms, she was clutching a doll in her chest and Soobin assumed she was playing when this all began. She didn’t look too particularly terrified by Yeonjun’s horns and fangs until her parents hurriedly pulled her away. He just smiles before immediately turning around and catching a stray light pole from the air so it doesn’t knock the little girl’s brother in the head.

He sighs in relief before setting the pillar in between two buildings so it can’t blow away anymore. He pauses for a second before sniffing the air, his eyes widen before he looks around frantically and runs to Soobin.

“I-I smell fire!” He whimpers and Soobin notices his shoulders rising and falling in panicked breaths, his eyes flicker and well up with tears and Soobin quickly grabs his face.

“No no no no, don’t panic, I’m here it’s okay.” He says softly as he rests his forehead on Yeonjun’s, “Stay with me, it’s okay.”

“M-My parents...” He chokes out and Soobin looks up, Beomgyu had told him vague details about what happened to them but he didn’t know the full story, “Th-They died in a fire when I was a kid, m-monster hunters came to kill m-me and burned our h-house to the g-ground. M-My parents made me escape b-but they didn’t! They DIED and BURNED in a fire because I didn’t HELP!”

“Baby, it wasn’t your fault.”

“But-“

“It was NOT your fault.”

“Soobinie!”

“It WASN’T okay?! You were a kid, you couldn’t do anything if you WANTED to, if you did you probably would’ve died too.”

“Sometimes I wish I did.”

“Oh baby...”

“It’s hard being alone in a world that doesn’t want you-“

“We want you.” Soobin assures as he squeezes Yeonjun into a hug and nuzzles his almost artificially blue hair.

“Your hair is so pretty and blue, how do you maintain that bright color in the forest?!” 

“I was born with it.” Yeonjun snorts and Soobin steps back.

“That makes sense.”

Yeonjun giggles before Beomgyu yells at them to hurry up and help him.

“Sorry!” They call out at the same time.

“Do you think you can help with the fire or-“

Yeonjun aggressively shakes his head, “I-I don’t wanna have another one of my, um, episodes.”

“Fair, just focus on staying calm and not-“

“Losing it.”

Soobin nods before running off and Yeonjun focuses on helping the people left in the rubble. Some people yell at him to get away and he does, but he also gets a few hugs, and those feel REALLY good.

Hugs feel amazing.

A few people jump when he smiles afterwards and he quickly covers his mouth before running off.

“Are those fangs?” A small boy asks as Yeonjun lifts a collapse mattress off of a set of two twin boys. Yeonjun gulps before nodding and they both smile, they point to their own “fangs”, just canines that stick out a little more than average.

“People think they’re weird.”

“They are,” Yeonjun starts but quickly continues when he sees the startled looks on their faces, “But so are mine and my horns and the fact that my eyes flicker when I’m angry or scared. But trust me, everyone’s weird, you just don’t know it yet.”

Yeonjun nods before sending them to their worried parents. They bow and thank him as he hears Beomgyu calling for him. He waves at the family before running off to find Beomgyu and Soobin.

“The fire is out and we’re moving towards the palace, careful not to get too close to his cloud though. The darkness is pulling stuff in and we don’t want you getting hurt, okay?” Soobin warns and Yeonjun nods.

“Let’s get it.” Beomgyu smirks before nestling himself in between Yeonjun’s antlers.

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

If Kai had any doubts about the destruction around the palace, even after seeing the missing ceiling, they’ve certainly snuffed themselves out. The whole south wing of the palace is practically blown away, leaving a long drop where there’s supposed to be floor. Kai finds this out the hard way, opening a door and nearly stepping out into empty air before realizing and jumping back.

Heart hammering in his chest, nostrils flaring, Kai peeks into the door, fingers gripping the frame tightly. Most of the floor is visible at the bottom and on the grass beyond the foundation, but a long, thin strip clings to the wall and makes a path to the next doorway, leading closer to the center of the storm. 

Kai swallows tightly, “You’ve  _ gotta _ be kidding me…”

Kai’s vision swims as he looks down, muscles jittery, and all he wants to do is leap back and maybe run in the other direction until he’s as far as possible. Logically, he knows the floor is not bound to suddenly melt under his feet, unlike last time he was near a sudden fall.

That doesn’t make him any less uncomfortable with what he knows he needs to do. To put the final nail in his metaphorical fear coffin, a small section of the strip―thankfully in the  _ opposite _ direction to where he wants to go―collapses down and shatters against a long, innocuously sharp metal rod amongst a pile of ruin.

“Hyun will understand, right...?” Kai mumbles under his breath, gearing himself up, “If I just. Don’t. Can’t I just leave? Leaving sounds good. God dang it. I swear-”

Belying his words, Kai inches out and onto the tiny floor, wincing when he has to jump onto the path. He presses up against the wall, taking a shaky breath.

“Why did it have to be  _ this _ ?” Kai groans, and starts moving.

“-hate this so much-”

“-ACK! Oh, that didn’t happen, hahaha-”

“-OH MY GOD! I HATE THIS  _ SO _ SO MUCH!-”

“Hands to the wall! Hands to the wall, oh God, why can’t I fly like Beomgyu-hyung-”

“-Curse you and your pretty hair, Kang Taehyun, CURSE YOU-”

Kai dives for the door once he reaches the other side, slamming it open and throwing his whole body weight to roll onto the safe area. Once he’s there, he lays on his back for a moment. Taehyun’s thought he was dead for this long, he can wait a little longer until Kai doesn’t feel like standing up will make him throw up.

The eye stares down at him, almost directly above. Kai sticks his tongue out at it.

He scrambles to his feet when a bolt of lightning lands on the other side of the large wall behind him, roaring with abandon. Looking over the wall, Kai bites his lip, approaching the bend in the hall that leads to the doorway.

The doors are blown in towards the inside, barely visible on the floor. Kai feels a little scared, somehow. Not of Taehyun. Never of Taehyun.

He’s scared of who might have replaced him.

Kai pokes his head through the doorway and, finally, looks into the room. In the center, sitting crosslegged atop a nebula of rubble and corruption, is a small, familiar, brown-haired boy hunched over the fallen King, who’s strewn over the floor and covering himself with his robes.

A shudder runs up Kai’s back. Taehyun’s posture is completely off, tight and curled and somehow  _ smug _ , but fragile. LIke a sword made of ice; cold and deadly, but bound to shatter in one blow.

Before he says anything, Taehyun speaks out. His voice is slow, shuddering slightly on tone changes and over-coated in nasty saccharine, “Have I shown you, then? Do you think this much is enough?”

Kai is certain Taehyun is so focused he can’t even hear his footsteps as he steps forward, frowning at Taehyun’s speech, “Are you  _ scared _ yet, Father? Scared of what you made?”

“You-” the King coughs, and Kai knows that this will get bad if it carries on, “Want to make me  _ fear _ you? You’re just a snotty little brat hiding behind the stuff that makes him a  _ freak _ !”

“You know where I got this from,” Taehyun murmurs, just barely audible over the wind, “Are you going to keep pretending? Are you going to keep making  _ us _ pretend?”

Kai inches on, hiding behind the cloud and out of sight of the King’s eyes, “I don’t know what you’re-”

“You hurt Mother’s memory every time you pretend she’s still  _ alive _ ,” Taehyun snarls, and Kai freezes. “And yet you still act as if though the very things that made her  _ Mother _ are a personal affront.”

“DO NOT SPEAK OF HER LIGHTLY! NOT AS IF YOU AND HER WERE THE SAME!” the King roars, “NOT WHEN-”

“Only you,” Taehyun interrupts, “could find someone guilty of murder when they can’t even open their eyes.”

Kai grimaces, understanding dawning within his skull. The King, for his part, is silent.

“I’m done feeling guilty for something I didn’t do,” Taehyun says, “I’m done letting you get away with things. I’m done-”

He takes a breath, and Kai sees Taehyun’s back straighten. Just for a moment.

“I’m done letting you take the things I love away from me,” Taehyun finishes, voice distorting almost beyond recognition. Kai feels an odd tightening in his chest, and wonders what things the King has taken from him that he might not know about.

Taehyun raises an arm, gathering obscurity between his fingertips, and Kai lets out a short, unplanned screech, “ _ Hyun! _ ”

Taehyun stops. Kai mentally gives himself a kick to the side as he turns around, and Kai can barely resist audibly gasping.

Taehyun’s eyes are a deep set black, leaking the same, glittery darkness that drips from his hands, and from between his lips. Belatedly, Kai realizes that it’s Taehyun’s  _ magic _ , polluted and overflowing.

“ _ K _ **a** _ i...? _ ” Taehyun breathes, eyes rounding and spilling more sticky inklike magic down his cheeks. Kai forces his face still, because it’s not the time to be gagging at how painful it looks to be expelling something from your eyeballs like blood, and nods.

“Right here, Hyun,” Kai gives him a small smile, “I’m okay.”

Kai’s heart thumps in his chest when Taehyun’s lip curls up and over his teeth, hissing air and magic as he spits, “N _ o _ , y _ ou _ ’re- Gone, this isn’t real! I can’t  _ think _ you’re back, I can’t become like-  _ him!” _

“But I’m-” Kai tries, only to be silenced as Taehyun floats closer. Taehyun looks more brittle than ever, extending an accusing finger towards Kai’s face.

“You just repeat everything I’ve heard him say before!” Taehyun grits his teeth, “You can’t  _ trick _ me! All you are is something I imagined so I don’t have to- Don’t have to accept he’s  _ GONE!” _

_ Is this something you imagined? _ Kai resists asking, ignoring the temptation to do so while throttling the poor boy. Nobody would blame him, right? It’s a bit insulting to be thought of as a figment of someone’s imagination after facing what he has just to get there to prevent Taehyun from mentally incapacitating himself.

“Taehyun, I’m  _ real _ ,” Kai stresses, stepping forward and grabbing Taehyun’s outstretched hand. The name feels foreign on his tongue, improper. As if he’s meant to be saying something else.

The warmth of his hand seems to startle him some, at least enough to prevent him from pulling away. Taehyun’s eyelashes stick together as he looks around frantically, slowly floating down until they’re at eye level with his small hand clasped between both of Kai’s. The magic feels gooey between Kai’s fingers, and cold, but he holds on anyway.

“...can’t be,” Taehyun swallows, refusing to look him in the eye. Kai starts to see edges of white pop in from behind his eyelids, and counts it as a victory as he uses one hand to cup Taehyun’s cheek.

Kai rubs his thumb on the skin below Taehyun’s eye, “What do I have to tell you for you to  _ believe  _ me?”

“I-I don’t-” Taehyun twitches away from him slightly, shaking his head, “No, there’s  _ nothing, _ because you’re  _ not _ -”

“How about-” Kai starts, about to say something both very brave and  _ very _ stupid, but very cheesy above all. It should be enough of a shock factor to pull him out of this before he rejects him, right? “How about…”

“How about ‘I love you’?” Kai spits out, cheeks flaming. Taehyun looks at him, blinking once and opening his eyes again to reveal warm chocolate. 

“...what?” Taehyun says, and Kai pushes his head into his shoulder so he doesn’t have to look at Taehyun’s face. He clings to Taehyun’s back, throat tight and anxious.

“I love you,” Kai repeats, “Way too much, probably. Enough that it’d  _ actually _ kill me if I let you hurt yourself by getting rid of your dad like you were about to. And I-I don’t mean it in the same way I’d say ‘I love you’ to the Hyungs, either! I  _ love _ you! Like, I want to hug you, and I want to see you every day, and I want to-to-”

Taehyun says something, muffled against Kai’s shirt, but Kai keeps going, “I just-I didn’t expect you to be so...so  _ you _ ! I was defenseless! No one warned me, so I just- I fell, and I’m messing everything up right now because I can tell you’re fine now, I just don’t want you to reject me yet-”

Taehyun bites his shoulder. Kai yelps, loosening his tight hold on the back of his head enough that Taehyun can raise it and press his lips to Kai’s cheek. 

“Huening Kai,” Taehyun murmurs against his cheek. Kai shivers, “You are the  _ silliest _ , most ridiculously  _ endearing  _ person I’ve ever met. And, somehow, the  _ stupidest _ .”

“I’m not-”

Taehyun hugs Kai tighter, “You  _ are _ . Why else would you be scared of me  _ rejecting _ you?”

“Uhm,” Kai says helplessly.

“Look around,” Taehyun chuckles, “And tell me what kind of person would  _ destroy their own castle _ for someone they thought of as only a  _ friend _ ?”

“A very,  _ very _ dedicated one?” Kai giggles nervously. A knot he’s held in his stomach, wrapped tightly around his insides, slowly starts to unravel.

The line of Taehyun’s shoulders shakes with laughter, “Oh, Peaches. If anyone’s way too much in love with anyone, then I think I’ve got you beat.”

Kai pulls away, stepping back and rubbing idly on his throbbing shoulder ( _ yeowch _ , teeth  _ sharp- _ ), “R-Really?”

“Do I have to spell it out for you?” Taehyun scoffs, “Or would you prefer a sonnet? ‘Graven in diamonds with-”

“Nerd,” Kai mumbles. Taehyun rolls his eyes, but his eyes are drowning in fondness. Kai very much likes the sight, compared to the vision of them filled with despair a few minutes ago, and thinks that perhaps he could get used to it.

Something twists then, inside Kai’s chest, and he has to make sure. He has to hear it, so he says, “D-Do you really?”

“Do I-” Taehyun pauses, mouth in a little ‘o’, before he smiles in understanding, “Ah, you’re so cute.”

“Stop!” Kai whines, but it’s forced, because he deflected the question, and that means-

“I do love you, Kai,” Taehyun says, almost as an afterthought. As if he’d already said it a million times before, “More than you think. More than you can imagine, honestly; How’d you sneak into my heart like that, hm? So shameless.”

Kai’s neck feels like it’s about to melt away and take his head with it, and his stomach flutters harder than it ever has before.

It’s the best feeling he’s ever had.

“Not that this isn’t cute or anything,” pipes up Beomgyu’s voice, “but can you do this when we don’t have to watch over this jerk?”

Kai screams, jumping away from Taehyun and falling on his back. Taehyun is similarly startled, whipping around and conjuring up a translucent blade, magic tinged a slight pink instead of the former dark color.

The King is lying facedown on the floor, kicking his legs indignantly as Yeonjun and Soobin sit on top of his back. Beomgyu leans on Yeonjun’s horns, watching Taehyun and Kai with a teasing smirk.

“Ah,” the fairy sighs. Kai’s pleasant emotions flush themselves out of his body, only to be replaced by pure mortification. “To be young and so in love that you can’t see anything around you!”

Soobin raises an eyebrow, “Weren’t you just comparing Yeonjun-hyung’s eyes to winter sunbeams a few minutes ago? You hit a wall!”

“I was younger then.”

“Several times!”

“Such younger. Much youthful.”

“That’s not even gramatically correct-”

Kai curls up in on himself, thinking maybe if he just ignores them they’ll just. Leave. As Taehyun squats next to him, nose twitching disdainfully. 

“You okay?” Taehyun whispers gently, putting a hand on his side. Finally,  _ finally _ , Kai feels himself start to slide down from the fraying tenseness he’d been pushed to, noticing the actual extent of the bruises down his body and the full swelling and soreness in his jaw. 

Still, he says, “Never better.”

“I see,” Taehyun hums, inching down and sitting by Kai’s head before putting his hand behind Kai’s ear and rubbing softly, “I hope you realize you’re crying, so I’m not inclined to believe you.”

Kai grunts, turning around and wrapping his arms around Taehyun’s leg and nuzzling his face into his knee. Distantly, he hears a set of voices approach, but he can’t bring himself to care as Taehyun’s fingers card through his hair.

Whatever sort of person tries to pull him away can go to hell, because he  _ missed _ Taehyun, damn it.

He feels Taehyun’s hands stop moving through his hair only to heft him up and against his chest, cradling him halfway into Taehyun’s lap and- Yes. This seems like a nice spot to live in forever.

“...Don’t think I  _ can _ move, Noona,” he hears Taehyun say, and mumbles an agreement. Moving is illegal. Outlawed. His somewhat boyfriend(?) is king-to-be, so if he says it’s illegal then it  _ is _ .

Kai hears a laugh, and starts to drift off, because Taehyun’s hands are  _ warm _ and  _ careful _ and he’s suddenly very,  _ very _ tired. He takes a deep breath, smiling as he smells apples bright and clear in front of him, and lets himself fall asleep.

  
  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

He’s very warm now. Kai hadn’t even realized he was cold in the first place, but the change is welcome. He knows, in his head, that he’s somewhere different, but he can still feel himself curled up against Taehyun and the latter’s fingers in his hair, so he doesn’t complain. 

Taehyun will keep him safe.

“...just stay here!” Taehyun says somewhere above him.

There’s a series of murmurs, grumbling, before a triad of voices mix in agreeance. Kai feels a little burst of pride at Taehyun’s bargaining skills, even though he has no idea what’s going on.

Kai comes in and out of awareness, occasionally catching bits of conversation and arguments. He swears he hears his sisters’ voices at one point, but his eyelids are so heavy he can’t bring himself to look. He also hears his name come up, and from the sudden tight grip around his shoulders and the way Taehyun pulls him closer he can make a conjecture as to what was said. Sometimes Taehyun murmurs into his ear, as if he knows that Kai’s somewhat awake, but it’s always just a little bit too low for him to hear even though it’s that close. 

Suddenly, Kai is jostled up as Taehyun jumps in surprise at... _ something _ . Kai grumbles, pinching Taehyun’s side in protest, but he’s ignored in favor of Taehyun speaking.

“You want  _ me _ to do it?  _ Still _ ?” Taehyun’s voice is nervous, “Are we sure that’s...wise? I mean,  _ look _ at what I did!”

Sujin’s voice is calm, if a little patronizing, “We trust you, Taehyun-ah. You'll do fantastic, after some remedial lessons. Also, careful there, you’ve got  _ precious cargo _ in your arms!”

Kai squeezes his arms, and pointedly tries to  _ really  _ fall asleep again.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to him that he does, but he’s always been a simple person. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V: and with that, it's over! Saturday comes the epilogue, as a little extra, and look out for sequels and spin offs!
> 
> S: Um, we also do requests and snippets so look out for that too👀


	19. Epilogue: Happily Ever After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [fin]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> S: HELLO! I just wanted to thank you all for being on this journey with us! It was long and emotional but I loved it and I truly appreciate each and every one of your reads, comments, and kudos from the bottom of my heart🥺
> 
> Please enjoy! We’d love to see your comments in the replies telling us what you thought! Or you can talk to me @thechoisoobean on twitter uwu

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┊ ⊹ ┊

✯ ⋆ ┊ . ˚

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“ _ On her return she sees the Son of Heaven, _

_ The Son of Heaven sits in the Splendid Hall. _

_ He gives out promotions in twelve ranks _

_ And prizes of a hundred thousand and more. _

_ The Khan asks her what she desires _

_ ‘Mulan has no use for a minister’s post. _

_ I wish to ride a swift mount _

_ To take me back to my home.’ _ ” 

\-  _ The Ballad of Mulan _

* * *

“Why am I so nervous?!” Taehyun squeaks out nervously as Kai giggles and cups his face.

“Maybe because it’s your first royal decree?” He offers sweetly, small smile creasing his face.

“And maybe because the people kinda hate me after I destroyed half the kingdom?! We can’t forget that I’m the reject heir to the throne, the prince who went mad with dark magic?!” Taehyun panics before Kai takes his other hand and runs it through the elder’s fluffy auburn hair.

“Calm, deep breaths okay? Just be yourself, be your smart and charming self okay?”

Taehyun takes a deep shuddering breath before resting his head on Kai’s chest, wrapping his arms around his torso, and squeezing as tight as he can.

Which is surprisingly tight.

Kai struggles to breathe for a few minutes until Sujin calls Taehyun out. The elder prince grabs Kai’s hand and squeezes as the younger boy straightens his crown. Kai straightens his own, his sisters had his collection sent over as soon as they found out he was moving in with the crowned prince.

They weren’t too upset, happy that Kai was only a few hours by carriage ride away. He promised to come visit regularly at Sujin’s regency coronation and they did as well. It was an overall happy occasion since their families were once again bonding and this time Taehyun could be there. It was his first time seeing their families together and he was really excited to finally meet Kai’s parents.

To say the least they were thoroughly impressed, and confused, Taehyun had the tendency to use big words when he was nervous. They were proud of Kai for managing to earn the love of the crowned prince of the most powerful kingdoms in history.

And confused, but they didn’t say that to his face.

Taehyun looks up at him nervously and Kai pecks the top of his head like he did when they first approached the palace. If he could take down his father’s communist dictatorship with Kai by his side, he could do anything.

He walks out from behind the curtain and looks out into the large crowd of staff members, there had to be over a hundred. He didn’t realize how many people were behind the upkeep of the grand palace. Cooks and maids and butlers and tailors and all kinds of people dropped to their knees, bowing in his presence.

He’d never get used to it.

He looks over to Sujin and she nods before commanding them to rise.

Taehyun can’t help but notice a few unhappy, to say the least, faces in the crowd and he feels his chest tighten.

He clears his throat before speaking, “As you may know, we will be having a few new additions to the royal family. You will not be caring only for my father, Sujin, and I anymore. You have three more people to care for now. Yeonjun, Soobin, and Beomgyu are now on your lists for daily care AND respect. If Prince Kai or I catch anyone disobeying these new rules immediate and severe discipline will be in order. Is that understood?”

“Yes, your highness.” They all say in a robotic monotone and Taehyun tries his best not to cringe. It reminds him of when he was in Sujin’s spot and his father was in his own as he watched the man harshly command people. He shudders before quickly walking off the platform and back behind the curtains.

He hears Sujin dismiss them as he buries his face in Kai’s chest.

“I-I think you did good, if it means anything.” The maknae says softly into Taehyun’s hair as he wraps his arms around him.

“You did perfect lil squirrel.” Sujin coos as she pinches the chub on Taehyun’s jawline and pulls.

“Noona!” He whines as Kai gasps in awe of how fluffy Taehyun’s cheeks secretly were.

“Where did all that come from?!” Kai coos now as he pinches the other side of Taehyun’s face.

“Sometimes when you’re stuck in a tower and have endless cookie baking supplies and thousands of books, you don’t feel like exercising.” Taehyun huffs as they both continue to coo and tug at his face.

“No no no, he’s always had these, that’s where he keeps all his nuts.” Sujin corrects and Kai pauses before quirking an eyebrow.

“Isn’t that a-“

“Chipmunk?” Taehyun finishes, “I keep trying to tell her that.”

“Well he looks more like a squirrel than a chipmunk, I can’t help that he has cute little cheek pouches!”

“Do you guys have anything better to do than pester me? Hyungs have been sleeping in random places around the palace and I think it’s about time that they get a proper room.” Taehyun huffs in frustration and Kai smirks.

“Someone’s getting frustrated...”

“No! I will not let you tease me!” The elder prince yells before storming out the room. Sujin and Kai giggle before high-fiving as they watch the smaller prince make his exit.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Hyunnie, we just wanted to thank you again for letting us stay in your GORGEOUS palace, it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.” Soobin flatters, causing Taehyun to blush humbly and Beomgyu scoffs.

“Um, hello?! I’m sitting right here.” The fairy smirks from Yeonjun’s shoulder and the changeling giggles as he fills his cheeks with chocolates. 

He had been eating nonstop since they arrived, even after Soobin had told him he didn’t have to stuff himself at every meal. They had only been at the palace for a little over a week and the changeling was already putting on weight. His cheeks had gotten fluffier and his fingers had gotten pudgier.

“I said ONE of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.” Soobin replies, eyes rolling with faux annoyance as they make their way down the hall.

“What about me?” Yeonjun asks innocently after a hiccup as he licks his fingers free of melted chocolate.

“ONE of, ONE! You two are still tied for first, jeez.”

Taehyun can’t help but let out a soft chuckle as he listens to their innocent bickering. He opens a door to a partially destroyed part of the castle that they hadn’t rebuilt yet after he...destroyed it.

“Wow, you really messed this place up huh Hyunnie?” Beomgyu scoffs, impressed by the damage. The whole wing of the castle had practically been blown to smithereens and there was an entire chunk out of the roof.

The crowned prince blushes in embarrassment and Soobin shoots an expectant glare at Beomgyu.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean-“ He starts and Taehyun waves him off.

“No I get it, I kinda lost it.” Taehyun nervously chuckles as he walks down what remains of the hall, “But, I PROMISE nothing like that will EVER happen again, I have more control now.”

He doesn’t say, ‘I think’ as he looks down at his hands and looks back at the three.

“Unless you lose Hyuka again?” Yeonjun pipes up and Soobin facepalms.

“He’s mentally six Soobin, be patient, he needs to ACTUALLY be raised.” He says to himself silently enough that nobody hears.

“Hopefully I have more control over my um, darkness, before that happens.” Taehyun replies softly, voice wavering slightly, like he doesn’t trust himself.

“You will.” Soobin softly encourages and Taehyun smiles up at him.

“My hands spark when I get angry so, we’ll see.” Taehyun says to nobody in particular before clapping his hands together, “ANYWAYS! We’re turning this entire wing of the palace into WHATEVER you want, living quarters wise.”

The three look at each other with various levels of confusion on their faces.

“Um, okay like, a bedroom? Do you wanna start there? You guys have been sleeping on the floor in the main living room for a little over a week now.” Taehyun offers and he can’t help but giggle at them. When the maids come to clean they always tell Taehyun about the pile of creatures in the middle of the floor.

“How big can it be?” Beomgyu flitters around, scanning the walls, “Can we have a room that’s just. A bed?”

Soobin interrupts, grateful but wondering about logistics, “That sounds nice Hyunnie, thank you. I’m just a little worried that they’ll be a little...”

“Prejudiced?” Taehyun scoffs as he crosses his arms, “If you have ANY trouble, let me know and they will be SEVERELY disciplined. I had a meeting this morning about it and I will have NO discrimination in my palace, everyone is welcome here no matter their species.”

Yeonjun smiles, “Thank you, I’ve never been welcome anywhere before.”

Taehyun’s heart clenches in his chest as he looks at his Hyungs. Little sprouts growing from Soobin’s head, horns from Yeonjun’s, and wings from Beomgyu’s back. They’re different and some people make it painfully obvious.

Taehyun just doesn’t understand how someone can take a look at Yeonjun’s round face, Soobin’s soft eyes, or Beomgyu’s small stature and think of  _ danger _ .

“It’s my pleasure,” Taehyun smiles, stretching his arms up and into the air. It’s a little crisp, a little sunny, today. Under any other circumstances he’d enjoy the ventilation the castle is getting, in any case. The air inside always tasted a bit stale, to him.

Soobin scrunches his nose in a grin at him and asks, “So, let’s plan for a bit!”

  
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Kai’s heart is hammering in his chest as he peeks over the corner of the hall, terrified out of his mind. He can hear footsteps wherever he goes, echoing in every direction, causing him to jump even when nothing’s actually there. A few times he hears his name being called, and he uses that to guide him to run in the opposite direction, but right now…

It’s quiet. Too quiet. Quiet enough that all he can hear is his own harrowed breathing, getting sharper as he realizes that he’d rather hear the footsteps than not know where-

A hand lands on his shoulder.

Kai screams, and Sujin cackles before dragging him along.

“Let me go!” Kai claws at her hand as gently but as desperately as he can, gulping as he sees his sisters standing side by side at the end of the hall with smug looks.

“You’re being  _ whiny _ ,” Sujin crows victoriously, “We just want to ask you a few things!”

“But it’s  _ weird _ ,” Kai insists, “I know what you’re gonna ask me, and I don’t want to answer that kind of stuff! My sisters and  _ Hyun _ ’s sister who’s  _ Queen Regent _ don’t need to know about our love lives! Let me leave!-”

“It’ll be quick, Oppa!” Bahiyih grins cheekily at him. Kai waves his arm around.

“Can’t you just go find Hyun instead?”

“He’s in his lesson right now,” Lea provides, cocking a hip, “He finished delivering the plans for the new wing while you were running in the gardens. Terrible etiquette to make a pregnant woman chase you, by the way; What would Mom and Dad say?”

“Hopefully that it’s bad behavior for a pregnant woman to chase someone in the first place,” Someone quips behind him, and Kai whips around with a smile already blooming on his face.

Taehyun stands there with his arms already open, breathing a little hard, and Kai takes the unspoken invitation gladly as he goes to hug him.

“Taehyun-ah? What happened to your lesson?” Sujin asks, eyes narrowing in suspicion. Taehyun smiles innocently at her as he runs his palm over Kai’s hair, but there’s something tense in his eyes.

“It finished early,” he says, “I understand the concepts already. Is there a problem?”

“No, no,” Sujin clicks her tongue, and Taehyun’s near-bruising grip on Kai loosens enough that he can face the women again.

Kai takes this as an opportunity to pull Taehyun into his body, the smaller boy’s head resting comfortably on his chest as Kai sits his chin in the fluff of his light brown hair and takes in that oh so familiar apple scent. He rubs small circles into Taehyun’s belly and smiles softly as the elder prince melts in his arms. He was clearly tense but decided it would be better to ask why when they WEREN’T being interrogated by their sisters.

“Taehyunnie darling you’ve always been diligent in your studies but never for royal protocol and for things of the such, never really cared enough to pay attention. Are you SURE you understood everything from today’s lesson?” Sujin presses as she takes a step closer to her little brother, finger swinging accusingly. Taehyun shrinks into Kai’s chest and the younger boy pulls his arms tighter around Taehyun, almost protectively.

He gulps before responding, “Um, well, I-I’ve always just uh-“

“Sujinnie? My love! Did you forget you had a pregnancy yoga session on the back lawn this afternoon?”

Kai has never been so happy to hear Baekhyun’s annoying voice in his life.

His sisters tackle him into a hug and he takes that as an opportunity to finally get a private moment with Taehyun.

“Come on, while they’re distracted.” He whispers as he grabs Taehyun’s wrist and slowly backs away.

“Where are we going?!”

“Somewhere private where they can’t ask a thousand questions.”

Taehyun smirks before grabbing KAI’S wrist, “I know JUST the spot, not even my Noona could find me.”

“PLEASE, just lead the way.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“You just have a thing for towers huh?” Kai teases as he looks around the big empty room, feet creaking the floorboards with each step. Taehyun opens the curtains and lights the torches with a few swishes of his wrist and Kai chokes on the dust that’s released into the air.

“I think it was supposed to be a watchtower but someone built it WAY too close to the palace so it was abandoned. I’m sure the men who failed were executed, that’s just how my family rolls.” The elder prince explains as he dusts off a few of the old bookshelves that line the walls and pulls some cushions into a warmly lit corner. 

“Oh.”

“Yeah, it sucks, but once I take the throne things will be different.” Taehyun sighs as he looks out the window and over the palace property, “I used to practice my magic here, ya know?”

“Wow! Really?!” Kai gasps as he looks closer at the bookshelves that line the walls and a table that looks similar to the one that Taehyun healed Beomgyu on.

“Mhm, all the time. It was quiet, nobody knew where I was, and it was away from my father.” Taehyun explains, smiling fondly as a white lightning crackles around his hand. 

He drops onto one of the cushions in the corner and waves Kai over before the younger boy quickly drops to his side, “I genuinely wanted to be a wizard when I grew up. So when my father told me I could either take the throne or take my magic, I took my opportunity and chose my passion over the throne, which meant nothing to me. It was just a symbol of power gained through torture and bloodshed and I didn’t want to sit upon it. He sent me to my room without dinner and I angrily cried myself to sleep, when I woke up I was locked in my tower with my belongings and basic necessities. I didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye to Noonim.”

Kai looks up at him in disbelief before nuzzling him, “Hyun th-that’s so- that’s so CRUEL!”

“I thought so too, I cried for days. All I had was my magic and myself, so I made both as strong as I could. I came out the Taehyun you know and love. I think that’s a pretty good ending to that story, yeah?”

Kai nods as he squeezes Taehyun, “An amazing ending.”

“Now I get to write a WHOLE new book, with you.”

“Ironic that it starts with YOU locking your father in your old tower but, I’d take that as an honor.” Kai smirks as he pats Taehyun’s belly.

“I do, very much so.” The elder prince giggles as he cups Kai’s face, “Now tell me about your childhood. I know you grew up with three insane siblings in a beautiful kingdom, that’ll you’ll have to give me a tour of one day, and absolutely SURROUNDED by plush toys. Anything else I should know?”

“I’ve already told you everything else, about me skipping classes and not taking life seriously. There isn’t much else honestly, no emotional and mental scar creating trauma.” Kai chuckles awkwardly and Taehyun gives him a small smile.

“That’s good, I already filled that position in this relationship.” Taehyun smirks and Kai rolls his eyes.

“Do you have any good memories? Any at all?” Kai asks and Taehyun purses his lips in thought, nibbling at his lip habitually as he tries to recall.

Kai hates that. That he has to think for so long about it. He on the other hand can think of three just from the day he left.

“A few, most of them are alone when I figured out a new skill that I had been practicing or when Sujin-noona took me on walks and told me stuff she had learned from Baekhyun-ssi, who I didn’t know was your brother at the time.” Taehyun giggles and Kai touches their foreheads.

“Let’s create tons of amazingly happy memories together.” He whispers as he looks into Taehyun’s soft brown eyes.

“We’re creating one right now.”

They continue to just talk for hours, sun setting through the window as they watch together. They were about to play a game until Kai’s stomach growled and Taehyun decided it would be a good time for dinner.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It’s hard to make dinner not be awkward; Bahiyih and Lea only arrived that morning, and aren’t as used to the strange sigh of the varied crowd around the dining table. However, the two don’t comment or ask undue questions of the Hyungs, and for that much Kai is grateful.

Instead, Kai finds himself at the center of the attention. His sisters (and Sujin. And Baekhyun; doesn’t his brother have anything  _ better _ to do?) stare like hawks at his and Taehyun’s sides leaning against each other. He’s eternally grateful for the constant barrage of meals, and makes sure to wink at Yeji if she just so happens to be the one serving the meats in the middle of a prying question directed at the two of them.

“I wonder what it is about you Huenings, though,” Sujin muses aloud. Baekhyun looks at her, tilting his head in confusion.

“What is what?” Kai mumbles, shucking some bulgogi onto his and Taehyun’s plates before it all spontaneously disappears once Yeonjun has it. Soobin is too distracted cooing at Yeonjun, feeding him rolls of meat and bites of rice, to try the meat himself. Beomgyu naps idly amongst the elf’s hair sprouts, already full since the start of the meal.

Sujin raises her eyebrow, looking as Kai opens his mouth obediently when Taehyun raises some meat rolls to his lips, and turns to look at Baekhyun, who holds a similar meat roll up to her face with a pleading look.

“Nevermind,” she says curtly, rolling her eyes and accepting the bite of meat. Baekhyun grins brightly at her, silently cheering and looking for some other dish to feed her. Sujin holds back a smile, chewing slowly, and scrunches her nose at the giggling of Lea and Bahiyih. 

It’s clear that everyone starts winding down when Kai yawns widely before taking a drink of water, setting off a chain of yawns around the table. Kai laughs, scooting back in his chair.

“Should we turn in?” he asks Taehyun, biting his lip, “I think we’re eating more out of gluttony than actual hunger at this point.”

Lea claps once, “Are you two in-”

“Let’s  _ go _ ,” Taehyun agrees quickly, standing up and pulling Kai out of his chair and pushing in both of theirs. “Goodnight! See you all tomorrow!”

“But-”

“Sleep well!”

“One room-”

“ _ Bye! _ ” Taehyun shuts the door quickly behind them, racing down the hall towards their shared bedroom. The two of them don’t stop running until they’re outside their doors, catching their breaths, gasping and panting for air before exploding into silent laughter.

“They’re going to skin me  _ alive _ tomorrow,” Kai complains, but he’s smiling so broadly his cheeks feel the stretch. 

“They can try,” Taehyun fires back, shoving their bedroom open and going inside, “You can just come with me to my lessons if you’re really scared.”

“Aren’t you supposed to, you know,  _ learn _ ?”

“Says who I wouldn’t?” Taehyun teases, picking out his pajamas, but looks at Kai over his shoulder as he steps into the bathroom. “I’d rather spend time with you than study things I already know for the most part.”

Kai gulps, heart suddenly thumping in his chest.

He grabs one of the bags of his clothes that arrived that morning with his sisters (thank god, he’s tired of awkwardly borrowing Soobin’s shirts every night) and picks out his own set of pajamas, waiting patiently outside the bathroom for his turn.

Their nightly routine isn’t quite practiced, not yet. It’s very new for both of them, but it’s going much faster than the stuttering the first night where they tried to figure out who changed first, who was the little spoon, and all that.

This time, it’s barely fifteen minutes later until they’re lying on the bed and facing each other, Taehyun tucked into the crook of Kai’s neck and drumming his fingers on his back.

“Comfy?” Kai asks, smiling into Taehyun’s hair.

Taehyun hums, “Mhm.”

“Warm?”

“Mhm.”

“Cuddly?”

“Mmh.”

“Tiny?”

“M-Wait, no, what?” Taehyun pinches Kai’s back, causing him to let out a short screech, “Don’t take advantage of me when I’m sleepy, you hooligan.”

“I had to try!” Kai snickers, nuzzling his nose deeper into Taehyun’s hair. Taehyun clicks his tongue, already drumming his fingers again, mind racing a mile a minute even with his ‘sleepiness’.

“What are you thinking about?” Kai asks curiously, “I can practically see the cogs turning in your head. Hear them, too; Thudding along in the middle of that big, empty skull of yours-”

“I will  _ bite _ you,” Taehyun threatens, clicking his mouth shut dangerously.

Kai shrugs, “Just tell me what’s on your mind, Hyun.”

Taehyun goes quiet. He doesn’t say anything for so long Kai fears he’s gotten angry and just fallen asleep, until he speaks and shatters the silence.

“Do we...I mean,” Taehyun swallows, “I know we already said ‘I love you’, but...what _are_ we?”

Kai has to think about it for a second. To reassure Taehyun he didn’t say anything wrong, he makes exaggerated thinking noises, hugging him tighter with every hum rising in volume until Taehyun is lightly slapping his back for air.

Kai ducks his head, meeting Taehyun’s eyes with seriousness but a tiny, bright smile, and says: 

“Whatever we want to be, I guess.”

“...You’re right,” Taehyun agrees, but his eyes drift to the side.

Kai sighs knowingly, “What else? That can’t be it.”

“No, it is!” Taehyun denies, but amends it, “I mean, kind of. You say that, but what does it  _ mean? _ As in, what can I expect? Will you-”

As Taehyun pauses to collect his thoughts, Kai leans their foreheads together, and patiently waits for him to continue. They’re in no rush.

Taehyun’s voice is barely audible over their breathing, and a little shaky, when he finally says, “Will you... _ stay _ with me?”

“Yes,” Kai answers without hesitation. Taehyun whines, frustrated.

“As long as you’ll have me?”

“Of course.”

“As long as I... _ need _ ...you?”

“I’d say that’s a given.”

“Even if I go all crazy again? Even if I get so close to just destroying everything?” Taehyun’s voice is a little desperate, now. As if somehow seeking a denial, some form of rejection, almost like he can’t believe what he’s hearing.

“I mean, hopefully I can stop you, but yes.”

“Even when I become King?” Taehyun grimaces, wetness leaking slightly from the corners of his eyes, “Even if I change, and rule over everyone, and become-”

Kai runs his hands through Taehyun’s hair, “You’ll be a great King, Hyun. I’ll stay. I’ll stay and help.”

“You promise?” Taehyun whispers, and Kai’s heart squeezes and expands simultaneously.

“I promise. Pinkie promise, even,” Kai says, holding up a hand with his little finger extended. When Taehyun stares at him for a moment, eyes filled with tears and bewilderment, he wriggles it a little, “Don’t leave me hanging, now. It’s awkward if only I do it. You have to promise to stay with me too, you know.”

Slowly, gingerly, hesitant as if waiting for Kai to back out, Taehyun links their little fingers together. 

Kai smiles at him encouragingly, "Say it with me?"

Their voices meet together for the chant, one slow and unsure, while the other is strong enough for both of them. Once they finish, they both go quiet, unwilling to disturb the odd atmosphere that suddenly bloomed in the air.

It feels sacred. Fragile, but not ephemeral. 

Testing its permanence, Taehyun chuckles, "You are one of a kind, Huening Kai."

"I hope you mean that in a nice way," Kai winks, then closes his eyes, "Goodnight. I love you."

Taehyun waits until Kai's breathing evens out, until his chest moves deeply with every breath he takes, before closing his own eyes and pressing a feather-light kiss onto the pulse at his throat.

"I promise I'll keep you safe," Taehyun mutters, gently, against the side of Kai's neck. "For as long as you'll let me. I love you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> S: This is goodbye, for now🥺
> 
> If you have any requests, questions, comments, or concerns please let us know!
> 
> This is also that time where you guess the fairytale that this was... loosely based on👀

**Author's Note:**

> WE WORKED ON THIS REALLY HARD PLEASE APPRECIATE IT!!! The holy MOTHER of all Tyunning fics Jesus CHRIST-  
> Make sure to comment with your thoughts! The whole thing is already written, so updates will be regular until we get to the end. 
> 
> If any of you correctly guess exactly which story it's (admittedly loosely) based on you get to request a one-shot for any detail you want in-universe once posting is done lmao Good Luck, only applicable to the very first person who does.  
> Feel free to check out our other (admittedly limited in my((val)) case) works, follow us on twitter if you likey like!! YELL AT US AND SHOW YOUR FRIENDS PLEASE THERE'S ENOUGH TO GO AROUND


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